Compressing magnetic fields with high-energy lasers

Journal Article · Sat May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3416557· OSTI ID:21371304

Knauer, J P ^[1]; Gotchev, O V ^[1]; Chang, P Y ^[1]; Meyerhofer, D D; Betti, R ^[1]; Polomarov, O ^[2]; Frenje, J A; Li, C K; Manuel, M J -E; Petrasso, R D ^[2]

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1. Lab. for Laser Energetics, Univ. of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States)
2. Fusion Science Center for Extreme States of Matter and Fast Ignition Physics, Univ. of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States)

Laser-driven magnetic-field compression producing a magnetic field of tens of megaGauss is reported for the first time. A shock wave formed during the implosion of a cylindrical target traps an initial (seed) magnetic field that is amplified via conservation of magnetic flux. Such large fields are expected to magnetize the electrons in the hot, central plasma, leading to a cyclotron frequency exceeding the collision frequency. The Omega Laser Facility [T. R. Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)] was used to implode cylindrical CH targets filled with deuterium gas and seeded with an external field (>50 kG) from a magnetic pulse generator. This seed field is trapped and rapidly compressed by the imploding shell, minimizing the effect of resistive flux diffusion. The compressed field was probed via proton deflectrometry using 14.7 MeV protons from the D+{sup 3}He fusion reaction emitted by an imploding glass microballoon. Line-averaged magnetic fields of the imploded core were measured to between 30 and 40 MG. Experimental data were analyzed with both a magnetohydrodynamic version of the one-dimensional hydrocode LILAC[J. Delettrez et al., Phys. Rev. A 36, 3926 (1987); N. W. Jang et al., Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. 51, 144 (2006)] and the particle propagation code GEANT4[S. Agostinelli et al., Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A 506, 250 (2003)].

• OSTI ID: 21371304
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 17, Issue 5; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3416557; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
COMPRESSION
DEUTERIUM
ELECTRONS
INERTIAL CONFINEMENT
LASER IMPLOSIONS
LASER-PRODUCED PLASMA
LASERS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
SHOCK WAVES
CONFINEMENT
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
IMPLOSIONS
ISOTOPES
LEPTONS
LIGHT NUCLEI
NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
PLASMA
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
STABLE ISOTOPES