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Title: Laboratory investigation of particle acceleration and magnetic field compression in collisionless colliding fast plasma flows

Abstract

In many natural phenomena in space (cosmic-rays, fast winds), non-thermal ion populations are produced, with wave-particle interactions in self-induced electromagnetic turbulence being suspected to be mediators. However, the processes by which the electromagnetic energy is bestowed upon the particles is debated, and in some cases requires field compression. Here we show that laboratory experiments using high-power lasers and external strong magnetic field can be used to infer magnetic field compression in the interpenetration of two collisionless, high-velocity (0.01–0.1c) quasi-neutral plasma flows. This is evidenced through observed plasma stagnation at the flows collision point, which Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulations suggest to be the signature of magnetic field compression into a thin layer, followed by its dislocation into magnetic vortices. Acceleration of protons from the plasma collision is observed as well. As a possible scenario, with 1D and 2D PIC simulations we consider a compression of the vortices against dense plasma remnants.

Authors:
 [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [7];  [8];  [9];  [7]; ORCiD logo [10];  [11];  [7];  [11];  [12]; ORCiD logo [13]; ORCiD logo [7];  [14] more »; ORCiD logo [15] « less
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Sorbonne Univ., Palaiseau Cedex (France); Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
  2. National Research Nuclear Univ. MEPhI, Moscow (Russian Federation); P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute (LPI), Moscow (Russian Federation)
  3. Sorbonne Univ., Palaiseau Cedex (France); CEA, DAM, DIF, Arpajon (France)
  4. Inst. of Physics Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brezany (Czech Republic)
  5. LNCMI, Toulouse (France)
  6. Sorbonne Univ., Palaiseau Cedex (France); “Horia Hulubei” National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Bucharest-Magurele (Romania)
  7. Sorbonne Univ., Palaiseau Cedex (France)
  8. CEA, DAM, DIF, Arpajon (France)
  9. INRS-EMT, Varennes, QC (Canada)
  10. National Research Nuclear Univ. MEPhI, Moscow (Russian Federation); Joint Inst. for High Temperatures, Moscow (Russian Federation)
  11. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
  12. Inst. of Applied Physics, Novgorod (Russian Federation)
  13. Inst. of Physics Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Dolni Brezany (Czech Republic); Univ. of Bordeaux, Talence (France)
  14. Univ. of Bordeaux, Talence (France)
  15. Sorbonne Univ., Palaiseau Cedex (France); Inst. of Applied Physics, Novgorod (Russian Federation)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
OSTI Identifier:
1568022
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL-744001
Journal ID: ISSN 2399-3650; 898765
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC52-07NA27344
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Communications Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 2; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2399-3650
Publisher:
Springer Nature
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY

Citation Formats

Higginson, D. P., Korneev, Ph., Ruyer, C., Riquier, R., Moreno, Q., Béard, J., Chen, S. N., Grassi, A., Grech, M., Gremillet, L., Pépin, H., Perez, F., Pikuz, S., Pollock, B., Riconda, C., Shepherd, R., Starodubtsev, M., Tikhonchuk, V., Vinci, T., d’Humières, E., and Fuchs, J. Laboratory investigation of particle acceleration and magnetic field compression in collisionless colliding fast plasma flows. United States: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.1038/s42005-019-0160-6.
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Higginson, D. P., Korneev, Ph., Ruyer, C., Riquier, R., Moreno, Q., Béard, J., Chen, S. N., Grassi, A., Grech, M., Gremillet, L., Pépin, H., Perez, F., Pikuz, S., Pollock, B., Riconda, C., Shepherd, R., Starodubtsev, M., Tikhonchuk, V., Vinci, T., d’Humières, E., & Fuchs, J. Laboratory investigation of particle acceleration and magnetic field compression in collisionless colliding fast plasma flows. United States. doi:10.1038/s42005-019-0160-6.
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Higginson, D. P., Korneev, Ph., Ruyer, C., Riquier, R., Moreno, Q., Béard, J., Chen, S. N., Grassi, A., Grech, M., Gremillet, L., Pépin, H., Perez, F., Pikuz, S., Pollock, B., Riconda, C., Shepherd, R., Starodubtsev, M., Tikhonchuk, V., Vinci, T., d’Humières, E., and Fuchs, J. Thu . "Laboratory investigation of particle acceleration and magnetic field compression in collisionless colliding fast plasma flows". United States. doi:10.1038/s42005-019-0160-6. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1568022.
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@article{osti_1568022,
title = {Laboratory investigation of particle acceleration and magnetic field compression in collisionless colliding fast plasma flows},
author = {Higginson, D. P. and Korneev, Ph. and Ruyer, C. and Riquier, R. and Moreno, Q. and Béard, J. and Chen, S. N. and Grassi, A. and Grech, M. and Gremillet, L. and Pépin, H. and Perez, F. and Pikuz, S. and Pollock, B. and Riconda, C. and Shepherd, R. and Starodubtsev, M. and Tikhonchuk, V. and Vinci, T. and d’Humières, E. and Fuchs, J.},
abstractNote = {In many natural phenomena in space (cosmic-rays, fast winds), non-thermal ion populations are produced, with wave-particle interactions in self-induced electromagnetic turbulence being suspected to be mediators. However, the processes by which the electromagnetic energy is bestowed upon the particles is debated, and in some cases requires field compression. Here we show that laboratory experiments using high-power lasers and external strong magnetic field can be used to infer magnetic field compression in the interpenetration of two collisionless, high-velocity (0.01–0.1c) quasi-neutral plasma flows. This is evidenced through observed plasma stagnation at the flows collision point, which Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulations suggest to be the signature of magnetic field compression into a thin layer, followed by its dislocation into magnetic vortices. Acceleration of protons from the plasma collision is observed as well. As a possible scenario, with 1D and 2D PIC simulations we consider a compression of the vortices against dense plasma remnants.},
doi = {10.1038/s42005-019-0160-6},
journal = {Communications Physics},
number = 1,
volume = 2,
place = {United States},
year = {2019},
month = {6}
}
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Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
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DOI:  10.1038/s42005-019-0160-6
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Figures / Tables:

Figure 1 Figure 1: Experimental evidence for late-time plasma stagnation when colliding two fast plasmas in an ambient magnetic field as a signature of magnetic field compression. (a) Schematic of the experimental set-up. Two lasers irradiate two solid targets, accelerating two quasi-neutral, fast flows (electrons and ions, which are mostly protons) frommore » the rear surface, which expand into each other in the imposed 20 7 magnetic field. The axis of the Thomson parabola (TP) is shown and the interferometry diagnostic axis is into the page. (b-e) Electron density in the plasma, integrated along the line of sight (and hence in units of cm-2), as measured by the interferometer, at different times from the laser interaction. The frame b), corresponding to 5 89, uses a colorscale that represents 3 times more density than that of the other frames in order to better highlight the plasma profile at this time.« less
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Characterization of proton and heavier ion acceleration in ultrahigh-intensity laser interactions with heated target foils
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A novel platform to study magnetized high-velocity collisionless shocks
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Energetic proton generation in ultra-intense laser–solid interactions
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Particle Acceleration in Relativistic Collisionless Shocks: Fermi Process at Last?
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Collisionless Coupling of Ion and Electron Temperatures in Counterstreaming Plasma Flows
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    [ × clear filter / sort ]

    Works referencing / citing this record:

    Particle acceleration at astrophysical shocks: A theory of cosmic ray origin
    journal, October 1987

    Numerical simulations of energy transfer in counter-streaming plasmas
    journal, March 2013

    Interaction of high Mach-number shocks in laser-produced plasmas
    journal, March 2013

    TNSA-like plasmas collision in an ambient magnetic field as a route to astrophysical collisionless shock observation in a laboratory
    journal, December 2015

    A novel platform to study magnetized high-velocity collisionless shocks
    journal, December 2015

    Mediation of the solar wind termination shock by non-thermal ions
    journal, July 2008

    • Decker, R. B.; Krimigis, S. M.; Roelof, E. C.
    • Nature, Vol. 454, Issue 7200
    • DOI: 10.1038/nature07030

    Picosecond metrology of laser-driven proton bursts
    journal, February 2016

    • Dromey, B.; Coughlan, M.; Senje, L.
    • Nature Communications, Vol. 7, Issue 1
    • DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10642

    Self-organized electromagnetic field structures in laser-produced counter-streaming plasmas
    journal, September 2012

    • Kugland, N. L.; Ryutov, D. D.; Chang, P-Y.
    • Nature Physics, Vol. 8, Issue 11
    • DOI: 10.1038/nphys2434

    Observation of magnetic field generation via the Weibel instability in interpenetrating plasma flows
    journal, January 2015

    • Huntington, C. M.; Fiuza, F.; Ross, J. S.
    • Nature Physics, Vol. 11, Issue 2
    • DOI: 10.1038/nphys3178

    Energetic proton generation in ultra-intense laser–solid interactions
    journal, February 2001

    • Wilks, S. C.; Langdon, A. B.; Cowan, T. E.
    • Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 8, Issue 2, p. 542-549
    • DOI: 10.1063/1.1333697

    Collisionless plasma interpenetration in a strong magnetic field for laboratory astrophysics experiments
    journal, February 2014

    • Korneev, Ph.; d'Humières, E.; Tikhonchuk, V.
    • Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 21, Issue 2
    • DOI: 10.1063/1.4866598

    Passive tailoring of laser-accelerated ion beam cut-off energy by using double foil assembly
    journal, February 2014

    • Chen, S. N.; Robinson, A. P. L.; Antici, P.
    • Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 21, Issue 2
    • DOI: 10.1063/1.4867181

    Dynamics and structure of self-generated magnetics fields on solids following high contrast, high intensity laser irradiation
    journal, December 2015

    • Albertazzi, B.; Chen, S. N.; Antici, P.
    • Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 22, Issue 12
    • DOI: 10.1063/1.4936095

    XL. Cathode Rays
    journal, October 1897

    • Thomson, J. J.
    • The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science, Vol. 44, Issue 269
    • DOI: 10.1080/14786449708621070

    Nonthermal Electrons at High Mach Number Shocks: Electron Shock Surfing Acceleration
    journal, June 2002

    • Hoshino, M.; Shimada, N.
    • The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 572, Issue 2
    • DOI: 10.1086/340454

    On the Magnetic Fields and Particle Acceleration in Cassiopeia A
    journal, February 2003

    • Vink, Jacco; Laming, J. Martin
    • The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 584, Issue 2
    • DOI: 10.1086/345832

    Particle Acceleration in Relativistic Collisionless Shocks: Fermi Process at Last?
    journal, July 2008

    • Spitkovsky, Anatoly
    • The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 682, Issue 1
    • DOI: 10.1086/590248

    On particle acceleration and trapping by Poynting flux dominated flows
    journal, October 2005

    The acceleration of cosmic rays in shock fronts - II
    journal, March 1978

      [ × clear filter / sort ]

      Figures / Tables found in this record:

      Figure 1(p. 7)figure
      Figure 2(p. 9)figure
      Figure 3(p. 12)figure
      Figure 4(p. 16)figure
      Supplementary Figure 1(p. 27)figure
      Supplementary Figure 2(p. 29)figure
      Supplementary Figure 3(p. 30)figure
      Supplementary Figure 4(p. 31)figure
      Supplementary Figure 5(p. 32)figure
      Supplementary Figure 6(p. 33)figure
      Supplementary Figure 7(p. 36)figure
      Supplementary Figure 8(p. 40)figure
      Supplementary Figure 9(p. 40)figure
      Supplementary Figure 10(p. 41)figure
        [ × clear filter / sort ]
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