Progress on astrophysical collisionless shock experiments on Omega and NIF

ORAL

Abstract

We report the latest experimental progress on our laboratory experiments using the Omega and NIF lasers to investigate the dynamics of high Mach number collisionless shock formation in two interpenetrating plasma streams. It is believed that in astrophysical environments such shocks generate and amplified magnetic fields and accelerate cosmic rays. Counterstreaming plasma flows generated by laser ablation have been probed on the Omega laser using proton radiography, showing the formation, growth, and merger of filamentary magnetic field structures associated with the Weibel instability in a collisionless regime [1]. Recently, higher-energy experiments using the NIF laser showed enhanced heating when the flow interaction transited from collisional to collisionless flows [2]. The latest experiments on NIF considerably reduced collisionality and increased interaction volume. Significantly enhanced neutron production and high energy electrons were observed. We will present these recent experimental results. [1] C. M. Huntington, et al., Nature Physics, 11, 173 (2015); [2] J. S. Ross et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 118, 185003 (2017).

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Presenters

  • Hye-Sook Park

    Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Authors

  • Hye-Sook Park

    Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

  • Drew Pitney Higginson

    Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

  • Bruce Allen Remington

    Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Hans G. Rinderknecht

    Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab, Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab, Laboratory for Laser Energetics

  • J. Steven Steven Ross

    Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

  • Dmitri D Ryutov

    Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • George F Swadling

    Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Scott C Wilks

    Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab, Univ of California - San Diego, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, LLNL, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

  • Frederico Fiuza

    SLAC - Natl Accelerator Lab, SLAC National Acceleratory Laboratory

  • Anna Grassi

    SLAC - Natl Accelerator Lab

  • Anatoly Spitkovsky

    Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA, Princeton University, Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton NJ, Princeton Univ

  • Richard David Petrasso

    Massachusetts Inst of Tech-MIT, MIT

  • Chikang Li

    Massachusetts Inst of Tech-MIT, MIT