Manipulating nuclear α decay via electron screening in laser-heated warm dense matter

Laser-controlled nuclear decay offers a new pathway for manipulating nuclear lifetimes. In this study, a novel scheme was proposed to indirectly manipulate α decay via electron screening in the scenario of laser-heated nanoclusters. We established a framework of the density-gradient-corrected screening model for the dynamically expanded cluster plasma, where the nonlocal effects on electron screening arising from gradient corrections to the spatial heterogeneity of electron density should be con