Laser-Induced Fission
In experiments conducted recently at Lawrence Livemore National Lab, an intense laser beam (from the Petawatt laser, the most powerful in the world) strikes a gold foil (backed with a layer of lead). This results in (1) the highest energy electrons (up to 100 MeV) ever to emerge from a laser-solid interaction, (2) the first laser-induced fission, and (3) the first creation of antimatter (positrons) using lasers.
This research was reported by Tom Cowan of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and his colleagues at the APS Centennial Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.
