It has recently been demonstrated experimentally that a turbulent plasma created by the collision of two inhomogeneous,asymmetric,weakly magnetized,laser-produced plasma jets can generate strong stochastic magnetic fi...It has recently been demonstrated experimentally that a turbulent plasma created by the collision of two inhomogeneous,asymmetric,weakly magnetized,laser-produced plasma jets can generate strong stochastic magnetic fields via the small-scale turbulent dynamo mechanism,provided the magnetic Reynolds number of the plasma is sufficiently large.In this paper,we compare such a plasma with one arising from two pre-magnetized plasma jets whose creation is identical save for the addition of a strong external magnetic field imposed by a pulsed magnetic field generator.We investigate the differences between the two turbulent systems using a Thomson-scattering diagnostic,x-ray selfemission imaging,and proton radiography.The Thomson-scattering spectra and x-ray images suggest that the external magnetic field has a limited effect on the plasma dynamics in the experiment.Although the external magnetic field induces collimation of the flows in the colliding plasma jets and although the initial strengths of the magnetic fields arising from the interaction between the colliding jets are significantly larger as a result of the external field,the energies and morphologies of the stochastic magnetic fields post-amplification are indistinguishable.We conclude that,for turbulent laser-plasmas with supercritical magnetic Reynolds numbers,the dynamo-amplified magnetic fields are determined by the turbulent dynamics rather than the seed fields or modest changes in the initial flow dynamics of the plasma,a finding consistent with theoretical expectations and simulations of turbulent dynamos.展开更多
This paper describes a model of electron energization and cyclotron-maser emission applicable to astrophysical magnetized collisionless shocks. It is motivated by the work of Begelman, Ergun and Rees [Astrophys. J. 62...This paper describes a model of electron energization and cyclotron-maser emission applicable to astrophysical magnetized collisionless shocks. It is motivated by the work of Begelman, Ergun and Rees [Astrophys. J. 625, 51(2005)] who argued that the cyclotron-maser instability occurs in localized magnetized collisionless shocks such as those expected in blazar jets. We report on recent research carried out to investigate electron acceleration at collisionless shocks and maser radiation associated with the accelerated electrons. We describe how electrons accelerated by lower-hybrid waves at collisionless shocks generate cyclotron-maser radiation when the accelerated electrons move into regions of stronger magnetic fields. The electrons are accelerated along the magnetic field and magnetically compressed leading to the formation of an electron velocity distribution having a horseshoe shape due to conservation of the electron magnetic moment. Under certain conditions the horseshoe electron velocity distribution function is unstable to the cyclotron-maser instability [Bingham and Cairns, Phys. Plasmas 7, 3089(2000); Melrose, Rev. Mod. Plasma Phys. 1, 5(2017)].展开更多
基金the European Research Council(ERC)under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme(Grant No.FP7/2007-2013,ERC Grant Agreement Nos.256973 and 247039)the National Nuclear Security Administration(NNSA)of the U.S.Department of Energy(DOE)under Contract No.B591485+12 种基金Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory(LLNL),Field Work Proposal No.57789Argonne National Laboratory,Subcontract Nos.536203 and 630138Los Alamos National Laboratory,Subcontract No.B632670LLNL,Grant Nos.DE-NA0002724,DE-NA0003605,and DE-NA0003934the Flash Center for Computational Science,Grant No.DE-NA0003868the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,and Cooperative Agreement No.DE-NA0003856the Laboratory for Laser Energetics at the University of Rochester.the U.S.DOE Office of Science Fusion Energy Sciences(Grant No.DE-SC0016566)the National Science Foundation(Grant Nos.PHY-1619573,PHY-2033925,and PHY-2045718)the National Research Foundation of Korea(Grant Nos.2016R1A5A1013277 and 2020R1A2C2102800)Support from AWE plc.,the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council(Grant Nos.EP/M022331/1,EP/N014472/1,and EP/R034737/1)the U.K.Science and Technology Facilities Council is also acknowledged.General Atomics for target manufacturing and R&D support,which was funded by the NNSA in support of the National Laser Users’Facility program(Subcontract Nos.89233118CNA000010 and 89233119CNA000063).
文摘It has recently been demonstrated experimentally that a turbulent plasma created by the collision of two inhomogeneous,asymmetric,weakly magnetized,laser-produced plasma jets can generate strong stochastic magnetic fields via the small-scale turbulent dynamo mechanism,provided the magnetic Reynolds number of the plasma is sufficiently large.In this paper,we compare such a plasma with one arising from two pre-magnetized plasma jets whose creation is identical save for the addition of a strong external magnetic field imposed by a pulsed magnetic field generator.We investigate the differences between the two turbulent systems using a Thomson-scattering diagnostic,x-ray selfemission imaging,and proton radiography.The Thomson-scattering spectra and x-ray images suggest that the external magnetic field has a limited effect on the plasma dynamics in the experiment.Although the external magnetic field induces collimation of the flows in the colliding plasma jets and although the initial strengths of the magnetic fields arising from the interaction between the colliding jets are significantly larger as a result of the external field,the energies and morphologies of the stochastic magnetic fields post-amplification are indistinguishable.We conclude that,for turbulent laser-plasmas with supercritical magnetic Reynolds numbers,the dynamo-amplified magnetic fields are determined by the turbulent dynamics rather than the seed fields or modest changes in the initial flow dynamics of the plasma,a finding consistent with theoretical expectations and simulations of turbulent dynamos.
基金funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council(grant Nos.EP/N014472/1,EP/R004773/1and EP/N013298/1)the Science and Technologies Facilities Council of the United Kingdom.F.C.+2 种基金support from the European Research Council(InPairs ERC-2015-AdG 695088)FCT Portugal(grant No.PD/BD/114307/2016)supported in part at the University of Chicago by the US DOE NNSA ASC through the Argonne Institute for Computing in Science under FWP 57789 and the US DOE Office of Science through grant No.DE-SC0016566
文摘This paper describes a model of electron energization and cyclotron-maser emission applicable to astrophysical magnetized collisionless shocks. It is motivated by the work of Begelman, Ergun and Rees [Astrophys. J. 625, 51(2005)] who argued that the cyclotron-maser instability occurs in localized magnetized collisionless shocks such as those expected in blazar jets. We report on recent research carried out to investigate electron acceleration at collisionless shocks and maser radiation associated with the accelerated electrons. We describe how electrons accelerated by lower-hybrid waves at collisionless shocks generate cyclotron-maser radiation when the accelerated electrons move into regions of stronger magnetic fields. The electrons are accelerated along the magnetic field and magnetically compressed leading to the formation of an electron velocity distribution having a horseshoe shape due to conservation of the electron magnetic moment. Under certain conditions the horseshoe electron velocity distribution function is unstable to the cyclotron-maser instability [Bingham and Cairns, Phys. Plasmas 7, 3089(2000); Melrose, Rev. Mod. Plasma Phys. 1, 5(2017)].
