Localization of Magnetized Electrons in Current Filaments as a Fundamental Cause of Coulomb Explosion
- Russian Research Centre Kurchatov Institute, pl. Kurchatova 1, Moscow, 123182 (Russian Federation)
- Institute of Geosphere Dynamics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskii pr. 38-1, Moscow, 119334 (Russian Federation)
Mechanisms for generating current filaments in a dense plasma under the action of focused laser pulses and in a Z-pinch configuration are discussed. The main properties of current filaments with a zero and nonzero electron vorticity {omega}{sub e} = B - (c/e){nabla} x p{sub e} that originate at magnetic fields in the range 4{pi}n{sub e} m{sub e} c{sup 2} << B{sup 2} << 4{pi}n{sub i} m{sub i} c{sup 2} are investigated under the conditions of Coulomb explosion at currents below the ion Alfven current. A study is made of the equilibrium configurations of nonquasineutral current filaments in a purely longitudinal (B{sub z}) and a purely azimuthal (B{sub {theta}}) magnetic field and also in a more general case of a helical magnetic field, having two components, under conditions such that the charge separation occurs on a spatial scale on the order of the magnetic Debye radius r{sub B} {approx_equal} |B |/(4{pi}en{sub e}). It is shown that strong electric fields generated in the current filaments are comparable in magnitude to the atomic field and are capable of accelerating ions to energies of several tens of megaelectronvolts. The ion dynamics in strong electric fields of the filaments is calculated numerically and is shown to lead to the formation of collisionless shock waves on time scales on the order of several inverse ion plasma frequencies {omega}{sup -1}{sub pi}. The possible formation of current filaments on different spatiotemporal scales is considered.
- OSTI ID:
- 20717487
- Journal Information:
- Plasma Physics Reports, Vol. 31, Issue 1; Other Information: Translated from Fizika Plazmy, ISSN 0367-2921, 31, 30-51 (No. 1, 2005); DOI: 10.1134/1.1856706; (c) 2005 Pleiades Publishing, Inc; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); TN:; ISSN 1063-780X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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