Plasma and Fusion Research

Volume 11, 3401031 (2016)

Regular Articles

Toward the Generation of Magnetized Collisionless Shocks with High-Power Lasers
Yoshitaka SHOJI, Ryo YAMAZAKI, Sara TOMITA, Yushiro KAWAMURA, Yutaka OHIRA, Satoshi TOMIYA, Yoichi SAKAWA1), Takayoshi SANO1), Yukiko HARA1), Sarana KONDO1), Hiroshi SHIMOGAWARA1), Shuichi MATSUKIYO2), Taichi MORITA2), Kentaro TOMITA2), Hitoki YONEDA3), Kazunori NAGAMINE3), Yasuhiro KURAMITSU4), Toseo MORITAKA4), Naofumi OHNISHI5), Takayuki UMEDA6) and Hideaki TAKABE7)
Department of Physics and Mathematics, Aoyama Gakuin University, 5-10-1 Fuchinobe, Sagamihara 252-5258, Japan
1)
Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Japan
2)
Department of Earth System Science and Technology, Kyushu University, Kasuga 816-8580, Japan
3)
Institute for Laser Science, University of Electro-Communications, Chofu 182-8585, Japan
4)
Department of Physics, National Central University, Taiwan
5)
Department of Aerospace Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, Japan
6)
Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
7)
Dresden Center, Helmholtz Society, Germany
(Received 8 January 2016 / Accepted 12 February 2016 / Published 15 April 2016)

Abstract

We have started a project of experimental generation of low Mach number collisionless shocks propagating into magnetized plasma, using high power lasers such as Gekko XII at Institute of laser engineering, Osaka University. We briefly present a result of our first experiments done in September 2014, in which Aluminum plane target was irradiated by main laser in ambient Helium gas with external magnetic field. Ejected Aluminum plasma had a bulk velocity of 430 km s−1, which is sufficient enough to excite the magnetized collisionless shock in our experimental setup. However, the ejected Aluminum plasma was decelerated before the shock was excited.

Keywords

laboratory astrophysics, supernova remnant shock, magnetized collisionless shock, particle acceleration, cosmic ray

DOI: 10.1585/pfr.11.3401031

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