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Title: Generation of magnetized collisionless shocks by a novel, laser-driven magnetic piston

Abstract

We present experiments on the Trident laser facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory which demonstrate key elements in the production of laser-driven, magnetized, laboratory-scaled astrophysical collisionless shocks. These include the creation of a novel magnetic piston to couple laser energy to a background plasma and the generation of a collisionless shock precursor. We also observe evidence of decoupling between a laser-driven fast ion population and a background plasma, in contrast to the coupling of laser-ablated slow ions with background ions through the magnetic piston. 2D hybrid simulations further support these developments and show the coupling of the slow to ambient ions, the formation of a magnetic and density compression pulses consistent with a collisionless shock, and the decoupling of the fast ions.

Authors:
; ; ; ; ;  [1]; ; ;  [2];  [3]
  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095 (United States)
  2. Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)
  3. Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden (Germany)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22072518
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Physics of Plasmas
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 19; Journal Issue: 7; Other Information: (c) 2012 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; ASTROPHYSICS; COMPRESSION; COUPLING; DECOUPLING; IONS; LANL; LASERS; PLASMA; PLASMA DENSITY; PULSES; SHOCK WAVES

Citation Formats

Schaeffer, D B, Everson, E T, Constantin, C G, Bondarenko, A S, Morton, L A, Niemann, C, Winske, D, Flippo, K A, Montgomery, D S, and Gaillard, S A. Generation of magnetized collisionless shocks by a novel, laser-driven magnetic piston. United States: N. p., 2012. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4736846.
Schaeffer, D B, Everson, E T, Constantin, C G, Bondarenko, A S, Morton, L A, Niemann, C, Winske, D, Flippo, K A, Montgomery, D S, & Gaillard, S A. Generation of magnetized collisionless shocks by a novel, laser-driven magnetic piston. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4736846
Schaeffer, D B, Everson, E T, Constantin, C G, Bondarenko, A S, Morton, L A, Niemann, C, Winske, D, Flippo, K A, Montgomery, D S, and Gaillard, S A. 2012. "Generation of magnetized collisionless shocks by a novel, laser-driven magnetic piston". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4736846.
@article{osti_22072518,
title = {Generation of magnetized collisionless shocks by a novel, laser-driven magnetic piston},
author = {Schaeffer, D B and Everson, E T and Constantin, C G and Bondarenko, A S and Morton, L A and Niemann, C and Winske, D and Flippo, K A and Montgomery, D S and Gaillard, S A},
abstractNote = {We present experiments on the Trident laser facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory which demonstrate key elements in the production of laser-driven, magnetized, laboratory-scaled astrophysical collisionless shocks. These include the creation of a novel magnetic piston to couple laser energy to a background plasma and the generation of a collisionless shock precursor. We also observe evidence of decoupling between a laser-driven fast ion population and a background plasma, in contrast to the coupling of laser-ablated slow ions with background ions through the magnetic piston. 2D hybrid simulations further support these developments and show the coupling of the slow to ambient ions, the formation of a magnetic and density compression pulses consistent with a collisionless shock, and the decoupling of the fast ions.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4736846},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22072518}, journal = {Physics of Plasmas},
issn = {1070-664X},
number = 7,
volume = 19,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2012},
month = {Sun Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2012}
}