- Jacob, Robert E;
- Tannous, Speero M;
- Bernstein, Lee A;
- Brown, Joshua;
- Ostermayr, Tobias;
- Chen, Qiang;
- Schneider, Dieter HG;
- Schroeder, Carl B;
- van Tilborg, Jeroen;
- Esarey, Eric H;
- Geddes, Cameron GR
Excitation of long-lived states in bromine nuclei using a tabletop laser-plasma accelerator providing pulsed (<100 fs) electron beams provided a sensitive probe of γ strength and level densities in the nuclear quasicontinuum and may indicate angular momentum coupling through electron-nuclear interactions. Solid-density active LaBr_{3} targets absorb real and virtual photons up to 35±2.5 MeV and deexcite through γ cascade into different states. A factor of 4.354±0.932 enhancement of the ^{80}Br^{m}/^{80}Br^{g} isomeric ratio was observed following electron irradiation, as compared to bremsstrahlung. Additional angular momentum transfer could possibly occur through nuclear-plasma or electron-nuclear interactions enabled by the ultrashort electron beam. Further investigation of these mechanisms could have far-reaching impact including decreased storage of long-term nuclear waste and an improved understanding of heavy element formation in astrophysical settings.