Production of large volume, strongly magnetized laser-produced plasmas by use of pulsed external magnetic fields

Dynamics of Nanosecond Laser Pulse Propagation and of Associated Instabilities in a Magnetized Underdense Plasma

The propagation and energy coupling of intense laser beams in plasmas are critical issues in inertial confinement fusion. Applying magnetic fields to such a setup has been shown to enhance fuel confinement and heating. Here we report on experimental measurements demonstrating improved transmission and increased smoothing of a high-power laser beam propagating in a magnetized underdense plasma. We also measure enhanced backscattering, which our kinetic simulations show is due to magnetic confinement of hot electrons, thus leading to reduced target preheating.

Laboratory evidence of magnetic reconnection hampered in obliquely interacting flux tubes

Magnetic reconnection can occur when two plasmas, having anti-parallel components of the magnetic field, encounter each other. In the reconnection plane, the anti-parallel component of the field is annihilated and its energy released in the plasma. Here, we investigate through laboratory experiments the reconnection between two flux tubes that are not strictly anti-parallel. Compression of the anti-parallel component of the magnetic field is observed, as well as a decrease of the reconnection efficiency. Concomitantly, we observe delayed plasma heating and enhanced particle acceleration. Three-dimensional hybrid simulations support these observations and highlight the plasma heating inhibition and reconnection efficiency reduction for these obliquely oriented flux tubes.

Magnetic reconnection acts as energy transfer process in plasma and induces processes like plasma heating, particle acceleration. Here the authors demonstrate the variation of magnetic reconnection between two flux tubes in the presence of external magnetic field.

Enhancement of the Nonresonant Streaming Instability by Particle Collisions

Streaming cosmic rays can power the exponential growth of a seed magnetic field by exciting a nonresonant instability that feeds on their bulk kinetic energy. By generating the necessary turbulent magnetic field, it is thought to play a key role in the confinement and acceleration of cosmic rays at shocks. In this Letter we present hybrid-particle-in-cell simulations of the nonresonant mode including Monte Carlo collisions, and investigate the interplay between the pressure anisotropies produced by the instability and particle collisions in the background plasma. Simulations of poorly ionized plasmas confirm the rapid damping of the instability by proton-neutral collisions predicted by linear fluid theory calculations. In contrast we find that Coulomb collisions in fully ionized plasmas do not oppose the growth of the magnetic field, but under certain conditions suppress the pressure anisotropies and actually enhance the magnetic field amplification.

Pulsed magnetic field generation system for laser-plasma research

An up to 15 T pulsed magnetic field generator in a volume of a few cubic centimeters has been developed for experiments with magnetized laser plasma. The magnetic field is created by a pair of coils placed in a sealed reservoir with liquid nitrogen, installed in a vacuum chamber with a laser target. The bearing body provides the mechanical strength of the system both in the case of co-directional and oppositely connected coils. The configuration of the housing allows laser radiation to be introduced into the working area between the coils in a wide range of directions and focusing angles, places targets away from the symmetry axis of the magnetic system, and irradiates several targets simultaneously.

Enhanced X-ray emission arising from laser-plasma confinement by a strong transverse magnetic field

We analyze, using experiments and 3D MHD numerical simulations, the dynamic and radiative properties of a plasma ablated by a laser (1 ns, 10\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$^{12}$$\end{document}12–10\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$^{13}$$\end{document}13 W/cm\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$^2$$\end{document}2) from a solid target as it expands into a homogeneous, strong magnetic field (up to 30 T) that is transverse to its main expansion axis. We find that as early as 2 ns after the start of the expansion, the plasma becomes constrained by the magnetic field. As the magnetic field strength is increased, more plasma is confined close to the target and is heated by magnetic compression. We also observe that after \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\sim 8$$\end{document}∼8 ns, the plasma is being overall shaped in a slab, with the plasma being compressed perpendicularly to the magnetic field, and being extended along the magnetic field direction. This dense slab rapidly expands into vacuum; however, it contains only \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\sim 2\%$$\end{document}∼2% of the total plasma. As a result of the higher density and increased heating of the plasma confined against the laser-irradiated solid target, there is a net enhancement of the total X-ray emissivity induced by the magnetization.

Dynamics of laser-generated magnetic fields using long laser pulses

We report on the experimental investigation of magnetic field generation with a half-loop gold sheet coil driven by long-duration (10 ns) and high-power (0.5 TW) laser pulses. The amplitude of the magnetic field was characterized experimentally using proton deflectometry. The field rises rapidly in the first 1 ns of laser irradiation, and then increases slowly and continuously up to 10 ns during further laser irradiation. The transient dynamics of current shape were investigated with a two-dimensional (2D) numerical simulation that included Ohmic heating of the coil and the resultant change of electrical resistivity determined by the coil material temperature. The numerical simulations show rapid heating at the coil edges by current initially localized at the edges. This current density then diffuses to the central part of the sheet coil in a way that depends both on normal current diffusion as well as temporal changes of the coil resistance induced by the Ohmic heating. The measured temporal evolution of the magnetic field is compared with a model that determines a solution to the coil current and voltage that is consistent with a plasma diode model of the drive region and a 2D simulation of current diffusion and dynamic resistance due to Ohmic heating in the laser coil.

Laboratory disruption of scaled astrophysical outflows by a misaligned magnetic field

The shaping of astrophysical outflows into bright, dense, and collimated jets due to magnetic pressure is here investigated using laboratory experiments. Here we look at the impact on jet collimation of a misalignment between the outflow, as it stems from the source, and the magnetic field. For small misalignments, a magnetic nozzle forms and redirects the outflow in a collimated jet. For growing misalignments, this nozzle becomes increasingly asymmetric, disrupting jet formation. Our results thus suggest outflow/magnetic field misalignment to be a plausible key process regulating jet collimation in a variety of objects from our Sun’s outflows to extragalatic jets. Furthermore, they provide a possible interpretation for the observed structuring of astrophysical jets. Jet modulation could be interpreted as the signature of changes over time in the outflow/ambient field angle, and the change in the direction of the jet could be the signature of changes in the direction of the ambient field.

Mass outflow is a common process in astrophysical objects. Here the authors investigate in which conditions an astrophysically-scaled laser-produced plasma flow can be collimated and evolves in the presence of a misaligned external magnetic field.

Laser-Plasma Interaction Experiment for Solar Burst Studies

A new experimental platform based on laser-plasma interaction is proposed to explore the fundamental processes of wave coupling at the origin of interplanetary radio emissions. It is applied to the study of electromagnetic (EM) emission at twice the plasma frequency (2ω_{p}) observed during solar bursts and thought to result from the coalescence of two Langmuir waves (LWs). In the interplanetary medium, the first LW is excited by electron beams, while the second is generated by electrostatic decay of Langmuir waves. In the present experiment, instead of an electron beam, an energetic laser propagating through a plasma excites the primary LW, with characteristics close to those at near-Earth orbit. The EM radiation at 2ω_{p} is observed at different angles. Its intensity, spectral evolution, and polarization confirm the LW-coalescence scenario.

Pulsed magnetic field device for laser plasma experiments at Shenguang-II laser facility

A pulsed intense magnetic field device was developed for the Shanghai Shenguang-II (SG-II) laser facility. The device using a double-turn coil with 12 mm diameter is capable of producing a peak current of 42 kA with 280 ns rising edge and 200 ns flat top width. A peak magnetic field of 8.8 T is achieved at the center of the coil. A two-section transmission line composed by a flexible section and a rigid section is designed to meet the target chamber environment of SG-II laser facility. The flexible section realizes the soft-connection between the capacitor bank and the target chamber, which facilitates the installation of the magnetic field device and the adjustment of the coil. The rigid section is as small as possible so that it can be inserted into the target chamber from any smallest flange, realizing elastic magnetic field configuration. The magnetic coil inside the chamber can be adjusted finely through a mechanical component on the rigid transmission line outside the target chamber. The adjustment range is up to 5 cm in both radial and axial directions with ∼50 µm precision. The device has been successfully operated on SG-II laser facility.

Portable pulsed magnetic field generator for magnetized laser plasma experiments in low vacuum environments

A portable pulsed magnetic field generator for magnetized laser plasma experiments in low vacuum environments is presented. It is based on a classical high-voltage discharge pulsed power system. A 95 kA peak current was delivered at a 65 kV discharge voltage, which generated a quasiuniform magnetic field of 12T in a Φ8 mm × 8 mm volume. A compact, sealed design was developed to avoid short-circuit breakdowns caused by an ambient low-pressure gas medium. Design improvements were made to the vacuum feedthrough, the transmission line, and the magnetic coil. The system worked well in a low vacuum environment for a laser plasma experiment using a gas target. But at intermediate ambient gas pressure, the ambient gas was ionized around the surface of the coil at first and then the ionized gas diffused inward and outward slowly, which affected the laser plasma image in the coil. Experiments and simulations indicated that the ambient gas was ionized by the induced electric field. We developed analytical models of the induced breakdown of the ambient gas to guide the experimental design of a gas target. The analysis can also be used in the experimental design of a solid target in an intense pulsed magnetic field of hundreds of tesla that the induced breakdown along solid's surface dominates the process.

Generation of intense quasi-electrostatic fields due to deposition of particles accelerated by petawatt-range laser-matter interactions

We demonstrate here for the first time that charge emitted by laser-target interactions at petawatt peak-powers can be efficiently deposited on a capacitor-collector structure far away from the target and lead to the rapid (tens of nanoseconds) generation of large quasi-static electric fields over wide (tens-of-centimeters scale-length) regions, with intensities much higher than common ElectroMagnetic Pulses (EMPs) generated by the same experiment in the same position. A good agreement was obtained between measurements from a classical field-probe and calculations based on particle-flux measurements from a Thomson spectrometer. Proof-of-principle particle-in-cell simulations reproduced the measurements of field evolution in time, giving a useful insight into the charging process, generation and distribution of fields. The understanding of this charging phenomenon and of the related intense fields, which can reach the MV/m order and in specific configurations might also exceed it, is very important for present and future facilities studying laser-plasma-acceleration and inertial-confinement-fusion, but also for application to the conditioning of accelerated charged-particles, the generation of intense electric and magnetic fields and many other multidisciplinary high-power laser-driven processes.

Portable and noise-tolerant magnetic field generation system

We have successfully developed a portable pulsed magnetic field generation system incorporating a number of techniques to avoid the effects of noise, including shielding, a self-power capability, and a high-capability semiconductor switch. The system fits into a cubical box less than 0.5 m in linear dimensions and can easily be installed in experimental facilities, including noisy environments such as high-power laser facilities. The system can generate a magnetic field of several tesla sustainable for several tens of microseconds over a spatial scale of several centimeters. In a high-power laser experiment with Gekko-XII, the system operated stably despite being subjected to a high level of electrical noise from laser shots of 600 J.

Enhancement of Quasistationary Shocks and Heating via Temporal Staging in a Magnetized Laser-Plasma Jet

We investigate the formation of a laser-produced magnetized jet under conditions of a varying mass ejection rate and a varying divergence of the ejected plasma flow. This is done by irradiating a solid target placed in a 20 T magnetic field with, first, a collinear precursor laser pulse (10^{12}  W/cm^{2}) and, then, a main pulse (10^{13}  W/cm^{2}) arriving 9-19 ns later. Varying the time delay between the two pulses is found to control the divergence of the expanding plasma, which is shown to increase the strength of and heating in the conical shock that is responsible for jet collimation. These results show that plasma collimation due to shocks against a strong magnetic field can lead to stable, astrophysically relevant jets that are sustained over time scales 100 times the laser pulse duration (i.e., >70  ns), even in the case of strong variability at the source.

Skobelev I, Soloviev A, Willi O, Pikuz S, Ciardi A, Fuchs J. Laboratory unraveling of matter accretion in young stars

Accretion dynamics in the formation of young stars is still a matter of debate because of limitations in observations and modeling. Through scaled laboratory experiments of collimated plasma accretion onto a solid in the presence of a magnetic field, we open a first window on this phenomenon by tracking, with spatial and temporal resolution, the dynamics of the system and simultaneously measuring multiband emissions. We observe in these experiments that matter, upon impact, is ejected laterally from the solid surface and then refocused by the magnetic field toward the incoming stream. This ejected matter forms a plasma shell that envelops the shocked core, reducing escaped x-ray emission. This finding demonstrates one possible structure reconciling current discrepancies between mass accretion rates derived from x-ray and optical observations, respectively.

Quasistationary magnetic field generation with a laser-driven capacitor-coil assembly

Recent experiments are showing possibilities to generate strong magnetic fields on the excess of 500 T with high-energy nanosecond laser pulses in a compact setup of a capacitor connected to a single turn coil. Hot electrons ejected from the capacitor plate (cathode) are collected at the other plate (anode), thus providing the source of a current in the coil. However, the physical processes leading to generation of currents exceeding hundreds of kiloamperes in such a laser-driven diode are not sufficiently understood. Here we present a critical analysis of previous results and propose a self-consistent model for the high current generation in a laser-driven capacitor-coil assembly. It accounts for three major effects controlling the diode current: the space charge neutralization, the plasma magnetization between the capacitor plates, and the Ohmic heating of the external circuit-the coil-shaped connecting wire. The model provides the conditions necessary for transporting strongly super-Alfvenic currents through the diode on the time scale of a few nanoseconds. The model validity is confirmed by a comparison with the available experimental data.

Ultrafast probing of magnetic field growth inside a laser-driven solenoid

We report on the detection of the time-dependent B-field amplitude and topology in a laser-driven solenoid. The B-field inferred from both proton deflectometry and Faraday rotation ramps up linearly in time reaching 210 ± 35 T at the end of a 0.75-ns laser drive with 1 TW at 351 nm. A lumped-element circuit model agrees well with the linear rise and suggests that the blow-off plasma screens the field between the plates leading to an increased plate capacitance that converts the laser-generated hot-electron current into a voltage source that drives current through the solenoid. ALE3D modeling shows that target disassembly and current diffusion may limit the B-field increase for longer laser drive. Scaling of these experimental results to a National Ignition Facility (NIF) hohlraum target size (∼0.2cm^{3}) indicates that it is possible to achieve several tens of Tesla.

Ab initio study of the enantio-selective magnetic-field-induced second harmonic generation in chiral molecules

We present a systematic ab initio study of enantio-selective magnetic-field-induced second harmonic generation (MFISHG) on a set of chiral systems ((l)-alanine, (l)-arginine and (l)-cysteine; 3,4-dehydro-(l)-proline; (S)-α-phellandrene; (R,S)- and (S,S)-cystine disulphide; N-(4-nitrophenyl)-(S)-prolinol, N-(4-(2-nitrovinyl)-phenyl)-(S)-prolinol, N-(4-tricyanovinyl-phenyl)-(S)-prolinol, (R)-BINOL, (S)-BINAM and 6-(M)-helicene). The needed electronic frequency dependent cubic response calculations are performed within a density functional theory (DFT) approach. A study of the dependence of the property on the choice of electron correlation, on one-electron basis set extension and on the choice of magnetic gauge origin is carried out on a prototype system (twisted oxygen peroxide). The magnetic gauge dependence analysis is extended also to the molecules of the set. An attempt to analyze the structure-property relationships is also made, based on the results obtained for biphenyl (in a frozen twisted conformation), for prolinol and for some of their derivatives. The strength of the effect is discussed, in order to establish its measurability with a proposed experimental setup.

Laboratory formation of a scaled protostellar jet by coaligned poloidal magnetic field

Although bipolar jets are seen emerging from a wide variety of astrophysical systems, the issue of their formation and morphology beyond their launching is still under study. Our scaled laboratory experiments, representative of young stellar object outflows, reveal that stable and narrow collimation of the entire flow can result from the presence of a poloidal magnetic field whose strength is consistent with observations. The laboratory plasma becomes focused with an interior cavity. This gives rise to a standing conical shock from which the jet emerges. Following simulations of the process at the full astrophysical scale, we conclude that it can also explain recently discovered x-ray emission features observed in low-density regions at the base of protostellar jets, such as the well-studied jet HH 154.