skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Interaction of Supernova Reminants with Interstellar Cloud: Experiments on the Nova Laser

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/15013481· OSTI ID:15013481

The interaction of strong shock waves, such as those generated by the explosion of supernovae with interstellar clouds, is a problem of fundamental importance in understanding the evolution and the dynamics of the interstellar medium (ISM) as it is disrupted by shock waves. Here we present the results of a series of Nova laser experiments investigating the evolution of a high density sphere embedded in a low density medium after the passage of a strong shock wave, thereby emulating the supernova shock-cloud interaction. The Nova laser was utilized to generate a strong ({approx}Mach 10) shock wave that traveled along a miniature beryllium shock tube, 750 {micro}m in diameter, filled with a low-density plastic emulating the ISM. Embedded in the plastic was a copper microsphere (100 {micro}m in diameter) emulating the interstellar cloud. The morphology and evolution as well as the shock wave trajectory were diagnosed via side-on X-ray radiography.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-48
OSTI ID:
15013481
Report Number(s):
UCRL-ID-148071; TRN: US0600160
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English