Triggering star formation:Experimental compression of a foam ball induced by Taylor–Sedov blast waves

The interaction between a molecular cloud and an external agent(e.g.,a supernova remnant,plasma jet,radiation,or another cloud)is a common phenomenon throughout the Universe and can significantly change the star formation rate within a galaxy.This process leads to fragmentation of the cloud and to its subsequent compression and can,eventually,initiate the gravitational collapse of a stable molecular cloud.It is,however,difficult to study such systems in detail using conventional techniques(numerical simulations and astronomical observations),since complex interactions of flows occur.In this paper,we experimentally investigate the compression of a foam ball by Taylor–Sedov blast waves,as an analog of supernova remnants interacting with a molecular cloud.The formation of a compression wave is observed in the foam ball,indicating the importance of such experiments for understanding how star formation is triggered by external agents.

Multibeam laser-plasma interaction at the Gekko XII laser facility in conditions relevant for direct-drive inertial confinement fusion

Laser–plasma interaction and hot electrons have been characterized in detail in laser irradiation conditions relevant for direct-drive inertial confinement fusion.The experiment was carried out at the Gekko XII laser facility in multibeam planar target geometry at an intensity of approximately 3×10^(15)W/cm^(2).Experimental data suggest that high-energy electrons,with temperatures of 20–50 keV and conversion efficiencies ofη<1%,were mainly produced by the damping of electron plasma waves driven by two-plasmon decay(TPD).Stimulated Raman scattering(SRS)is observed in a near-threshold growth regime,producing a reflectivity of approximately 0.01%,and is well described by an analytical model accounting for the convective growth in independent speckles.The experiment reveals that both TPD and SRS are collectively driven by multiple beams,resulting in a more vigorous growth than that driven by single-beam laser intensity.

Short-pulse laser-driven x-ray radiography

We have developed a new radiography setup with a short-pulse laser-driven x-ray source. Using a radiography axis perpendicular to both long- and short-pulse lasers allowed optimizing the incident angle of the short-pulse laser on the x-ray source target. The setup has been tested with various x-ray source target materials and different laser wavelengths.Signal to noise ratios are presented as well as achieved spatial resolutions. The high quality of our technique is illustrated on a plasma flow radiograph obtained during a laboratory astrophysics experiment on POLARs.

Analytical modelling of the expansion of a solid obstacle interacting with a radiative shock

In this paper, we present a model characterizing the interaction of a radiative shock(RS) with a solid material, as described in a recent paper(Koenig et al., Phys. Plasmas, 24, 082707(2017)), the new model is then related to recent experiments performed on the GEKKO XII laser facility. The RS generated in a xenon gas cell propagates towards a solid obstacle that is ablated by radiation coming from the shock front and the radiative precursor, mimicking processes occurring in astrophysical phenomena. The model presented here calculates the dynamics of the obstacle expansion,which depends on several parameters, notably the geometry and the temperature of the shock. All parameters required for the model have been obtained from experiments. Good agreement between experimental data and the model is found when spherical geometry is taken into account. As a consequence, this model is a useful and easy tool to infer parameters from experimental data(such as the shock temperature), and also to design future experiments.