Nuclear laser physics

Outstanding progress in laser technology has been realized in the last decade. Laser intensities can now exceed 1022W/cm2 with the electric field reaching ~4×1012 V/cm. When targets are irradiated by such high intensities, laser driven nuclear reactions can occur. Here we review the developments in this field and describe the potential of laser-induced electron, proton, neutron, X-ray and positron production in the near future.