Laboratory Investigation of Coupling Between Explosive Piston Plasma and Partially Ionized, Magnetized Plasma

POSTER

Abstract

In many astrophysical systems, such as the solar atmosphere, interstellar medium, planetary atmospheres, and accretion disks, partially ionized plasmas (PIP) play a crucial role in their dynamics. The presence of neutral particles significantly impacts the growth of instabilities, energy transport, and coupling processes between plasma species. This study explores the interaction between a high-energy piston plasma created via laser irradiation of a solid target and a partially ionized, magnetized plasma, focusing primarily on planetary atmospheres. A novel gas puffing system was implemented on the Large Plasma Device at UCLA to locally increase the neutral fraction near the target surface, enabling the examination of its effects on the laminar electric fields that predominantly influence the interaction. The study investigates the effects of decreased ionization fractions in helium and hydrogen plasmas to understand the formation and evolution of diamagnetic cavities in a PIP.

Presenters

  • Robert S Dorst

    University of California, Los Angeles

Authors

  • Robert S Dorst

    University of California, Los Angeles

  • Shreekrishna Tripathi

    University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA

  • Carmen G Constantin

    University of California, Los Angeles

  • Jia Han

    University of California, Los Angeles, Université de Lausanne

  • Ari Le

    Los Alamos National Laboratory

  • David Jeffrey Larson

    Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Steve T Vincena

    UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles

  • Lucas Rovige

    University of California, Los Angeles

  • Misa Cowee

    Los Alamos National Laboratory

  • Derek B Schaeffer

    University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA

  • Christoph Niemann

    University of California, Los Angeles