Coupling of axial plasma jets to compressional Alfven waves

The coupling of mass, energy, and momentum from a localized, dense, and rapidly expanding plasma into a large-scale magnetized background plasma is central to understanding many physical processes; these include galactic jets, coronal mass ejections, tokamak pellet fueling, high-altitude nuclear detonations, chemical releases in the ionosphere, and supernovae. The large-scale magnetized plasmas are capable of supporting Alfv\'{e}n waves, which mediate the flow of currents and associated changes of magnetic topology on the largest size scales of the external system. We present initial results from a laboratory experiment wherein a fast-moving, laser-produced plasma (LPP) is allowed to propagate along the magnetic field lines of a pre-existing plasma column (17m long by 60 cm diameter). The LPP is generated using a 1J, 8ns Nd:YAG laser fired at a graphite target. The laser is pulsed along with the background plasma at 1Hz. This work focuses on the coupling of the LPP to compressional Alfv\'{e}n waves in the background plasma. The experiments are conducted at UCLA's Basic Plasma Science Facility in the Large Plasma Device.