Collisionless coupling of a high- β expansion to an ambient, magnetized plasma. I. Rayleigh model and scaling

Journal Article · 12 April 2018 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5029301 · OSTI ID:1540203

Bonde, Jeffrey  ^[1]

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1. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)

Here, the dynamics of a magnetized, expanding plasma with a high ratio of kinetic energy density to ambient magnetic field energy density, or β, are explored by adapting a model of gaseous bubbles expanding in liquids as developed by Lord Rayleigh. New features include scale magnitudes and evolution of the electric fields in the system. The collisionless coupling between the expanding and ambient plasma due to these fields is described as well as the relevant scaling relations. Several different responses of the ambient plasma to the expansion are identified in this model, and for most laboratory experiments, ambient ions should be pulled inward, against the expansion due to the dominance of the electrostatic field.

• Research Organization: Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC); National Science Foundation (NSF)
• Grant/Contract Number: SC0001605
• OSTI ID: 1540203
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1432905
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 25, Issue 4; ISSN 1070-664X
• Publisher: American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English