Structure of an exploding laser-produced plasma
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, UCB 392, Boulder, Colorado 80309 (United States)
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095 (United States)
Currents and instabilities associated with an expanding dense plasma embedded in a magnetized background plasma are investigated by direct volumetric probe measurements of the magnetic field and floating potential. A diamagnetic cavity is formed and found to collapse rapidly compared to the expected magnetic diffusion time. The three-dimensional current density within the expanding plasma includes currents along the background magnetic field, in addition to the diamagnetic current. Correlation measurements reveal that flutelike structures at the plasma surface translate with the expanding plasma across the magnetic field and extend into the current system that sustains the diamagnetic cavity, possibly contributing to its collapse.
- OSTI ID:
- 21537855
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 18, Issue 5; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3567525; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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