Laboratory experiments on plasma jets in a magnetic field using high-power lasers

¹ Graduate School of Sci, Osaka Univ, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan
² Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka Univ, 2-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan
³ Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Univ, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan
⁴ Department of physics, York Univ, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK
⁵ Department of physics, Oxford Univ, Clarendon Laborator, Oxford OX1 3PU, UK
⁶ LULI Ecole Polytechnique, 91128 Palaiseau Cedex, France
⁷ Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China

^a e-mail: kuramitsu-y@ile.osaka-u.ac.jp

Published online: 15 November 2013

Abstract

The experiments to simulate astrophysical jet generation are performed using Gekko XII (GXII) HIPER laser system at the Institute of Laser Engineering. In the experiments a fast plasma flow generated by shooting a CH plane (10 μm thickness) is observed at the rear side of the plane. By separating the focal spot of the main beams, a non-uniform plasma is generated. The non-uniform plasma flow in an external magnetic field (0.2∼0.3 T) perpendicular to the plasma is more collimated than that without the external magnetic field. The plasma β, the ratio between the plasma and magnetic pressure, is ≫ 1, and the magnetic Reynolds number is ∼150 in the collimated plasma. It is considered that the magnetic field is distorted by the plasma flow and enhances the jet collimation.