Semiclassical formula for the alpha-decay rate in an electromagnetic field

A semiclassical correction to the alpha-decay rate in an alternating electromagnetic field is obtained. Single-particle Gamow theory is used to describe the alpha-decay process. The relative change in the alpha-decay rate is calculated as a function of the charge of the alpha-active nucleus being considered, the alpha-particle energy, and the laser-radiation intensity. It is shown that the lower the alpha-particle energy and the larger the charge-number value, the greater the increase in the alpha-decay rate. It is found that, even at the liming values of the laser-radiation intensity (10 26 –10 28 W/cm 2 ), the relative enhancement of alpha decay does exceed a few percent—in particular, it is as small as 2% for 238 U at the radiation intensity of 10 28 W/cm 2 .