Laboratory study of micro-instabilities in the early stages of a quasi-parallel collisionless shock relevant to supernova remnants

Electromagnetic instabilities, such as the non-resonant instability (NRI) and ion-Weibel instability, govern the formation and dynamics of collisionless shocks, influencing their structure, reformations, and energy dissipation mechanisms. The magnetic field strength, quantified by the Alfvénic Mach number (MA), and its orientation relative to plasma flows determine instability growth and subsequent shock evolution. Laboratory laser-driven experiments are uniquely capable of producing plasmas under conditions analogous to astrophysical, high-MA (>100), quasi-parallel collisionless shocks found in young supernova remnant. We present results from experiments conducted at the Omega-EP Laser Facility, where magnetized, asymmetric plasma flows interpenetrate, generating streaming instabilities that mark the initial stages of shock formation. Proton radiography was used to visualize the electromagnetic fluctuations at different times of the interaction to characterize the instabilities. Particles-in-cell (PIC) and hybrid-PIC simulations were performed to support the experimental measurements and help unravel the role instabilities play during the early stages of the interaction. Simulations capture the growth of the ion-Weibel instability and NRI in good agreement with the experiment.