TY - JOUR
T1 - Weibel-induced filamentation during an ultrafast, laser-driven plasma expansion
AU - Quinn, Kevin
AU - Romagnani, Lorenzo
AU - Ramakrishna, Bhuvanesh
AU - Sarri, Gianluca
AU - Dieckmann, Mark
AU - Wilson, P.A.
AU - Fuchs, J.
AU - Lancia, L.
AU - Pipahl, A.
AU - Toncian, T.
AU - Willi, O.
AU - Clarke, R.J.
AU - Notley, M.
AU - Macchi, A.
AU - Borghesi, Marco
PY - 2012/3/26
Y1 - 2012/3/26
N2 - The development of current instabilities behind the front of a cylindrically expanding plasma has been investigated experimentally via proton probing techniques. A multitude of tubelike filamentary structures is observed to form behind the front of a plasma created by irradiating solid-density wire targets with a high-intensity (I~1019??W/cm2), picosecond-duration laser pulse. These filaments exhibit a remarkable degree of stability, persisting for several tens of picoseconds, and appear to be magnetized over a filament length corresponding to several filament radii. Particle-in-cell simulations indicate that their formation can be attributed to a Weibel instability driven by a thermal anisotropy of the electron population. We suggest that these results may have implications in astrophysical scenarios, particularly concerning the problem of the generation of strong, spatially extended and sustained magnetic fields in astrophysical jets.
AB - The development of current instabilities behind the front of a cylindrically expanding plasma has been investigated experimentally via proton probing techniques. A multitude of tubelike filamentary structures is observed to form behind the front of a plasma created by irradiating solid-density wire targets with a high-intensity (I~1019??W/cm2), picosecond-duration laser pulse. These filaments exhibit a remarkable degree of stability, persisting for several tens of picoseconds, and appear to be magnetized over a filament length corresponding to several filament radii. Particle-in-cell simulations indicate that their formation can be attributed to a Weibel instability driven by a thermal anisotropy of the electron population. We suggest that these results may have implications in astrophysical scenarios, particularly concerning the problem of the generation of strong, spatially extended and sustained magnetic fields in astrophysical jets.
U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.135001
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.135001
M3 - Article
SN - 0031-9007
VL - 108
JO - Physical Review Letters
JF - Physical Review Letters
IS - 13
M1 - 135001
ER -