Neutron source from thin foil confined by two laser pulses

Neutron production from a thin deuterium tritium (D T) foil irradiated by two intense femtosecond laser pulses from opposite sides with zero phase difference is studied analytically and numerically. For the interaction of a laser pulse of amplitude a=7, focal area 100 mum(2) and areal density 4.4× 10(18) cm(-2) with a D T plasma foil, about 1.17× 10(21) neutron s(-1) can be obtained, much more than from other methods. The profiles of the ion and electron densities are also calculated.