EPJ Web of Conferences (Nov 2013)

High-power laser experiments to study collisionless shock generation

  • Sakawa Y.,
  • Kuramitsu Y.,
  • Morita T.,
  • Kato T.,
  • Tanji H.,
  • Ide T.,
  • Nishio K.,
  • Kuwada M.,
  • Tsubouchi T.,
  • Ide H.,
  • Norimatsu T.,
  • Gregory C.,
  • Woolsey N.,
  • Schaar K.,
  • Murphy C.,
  • Gregori G.,
  • Diziere A.,
  • Pelka A.,
  • Koenig M.,
  • Wang S.,
  • Dong Q.,
  • Li Y.,
  • Park H.-S.,
  • Ross S.,
  • Kugland N.,
  • Ryutov D.,
  • Remington B.,
  • Spitkovsky A.,
  • Froula D.,
  • Takabe H.

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/20135915001
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 59
p. 15001

Abstract

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A collisionless Weibel-instability mediated shock in a self-generated magnetic field is studied using two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation [Kato and Takabe, Astophys. J. Lett. 681, L93 (2008)]. It is predicted that the generation of the Weibel shock requires to use NIF-class high-power laser system. Collisionless electrostatic shocks are produced in counter-streaming plasmas using Gekko XII laser system [Kuramitsu et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 175002 (2011)]. A NIF facility time proposal is approved to study the formation of the collisionless Weibel shock. OMEGA and OMEGA EP experiments have been started to study the plasma conditions of counter-streaming plasmas required for the NIF experiment using Thomson scattering and to develop proton radiography diagnostics.