Optimized production of charged particles and thermonuclear neutrons from large nanoclusters irradiated with a relativistically intense ultrashort laser pulse

The interaction of ultrashort laser pulses of subrel-ativistic intensity with large nanoclusters is studied. The cluster target parameters were optimized based on 3D particle-in-cell simulations (PIC) to find a laser plasma regime that maximizes the number of high-energy deuterons and fusion neutrons. The considered design of the laser target has the potential to be used in a compact short laser driven source of neutrons.