First experiments probing the collision of parallel magnetic fields using laser-produced plasmas
[2];
[1];
[1]
- Plasma Science and Fusion Center and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States)
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, NJ (United States)
- University of Rochester, NY (United States). Laboratory for Laser Energetics
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Novel experiments to study the strongly-driven collision of parallel magnetic fields in ß~10, laser-produced plasmas have been conducted using monoenergetic proton radiography. These experiments were designed to probe the process of magnetic flux pileup, which has been identified in prior laser-plasma experiments as a key physical mechanism in the reconnection of anti-parallel magnetic fields when the reconnection inflow is dominated by strong plasma flows. In the present experiments using colliding plasmas carrying parallel magnetic fields, the magnetic flux is found to be conserved and slightly compressed in the collision region. Two-dimensional (2D) particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations predict a stronger flux compression and amplification of the magnetic field strength, and this discrepancy is attributed to the three-dimensional (3D) collision geometry. Future experiments may drive a stronger collision and further explore flux pileup in the context of the strongly-driven interaction of magnetic fields.
- Research Organization:
- Plasma Science and Fusion Center and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States). High Energy Density Physics Division; Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- NA0001857; NA0002035
- OSTI ID:
- 1177962
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1177965; OSTI ID: 1228213
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 22, Issue 4; ISSN 1070-664X
- Publisher:
- American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
Regimes of magnetic reconnection in colliding laser-produced magnetized plasma bubbles
|
journal | September 2018 |
Anomalous plasma acceleration in colliding high-power laser-produced plasmas
|
journal | September 2019 |
| Anomalous plasma acceleration in colliding high-power laser-produced plasmas | text | January 2019 |
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