Characterizing Shockwaves in Exponential Ultracold Neutral Plasmas

Ultracold neutral plasmas (UNPs), formed by photoionizing a cloud of laser-cooled atoms, provide a powerful platform for studying various plasma phenomena due to experimental accessibility and precise control over initial conditions. They can be used to study a wide range of plasma physics, including hydrodynamic and kinetic phenomena, and magnetized and unmagnetized plasmas, as well as probe the impact of strong Coulomb coupling that is accessible because of the low temperature. The possible occurrence of shockwaves in an UNP has been of interest since these systems were first created and their expansion was studied. In this talk, we will present evidence for shockwaves in UNPs with an initial exponentially decaying density distribution. Signatures of shockwaves exist in both the velocity and temperature profiles of the plasma.