Particle acceleration in magnetised shocks produced by laser and pulsed power facilities
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Oxford
Department Name: Oxford Physics
Abstract
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Publications
Cross JE
(2016)
Laboratory analogue of a supersonic accretion column in a binary star system.
in Nature communications
Li CK
(2016)
Scaled laboratory experiments explain the kink behaviour of the Crab Nebula jet.
in Nature communications
Fiuza F
(2020)
Electron acceleration in laboratory-produced turbulent collisionless shocks
in Nature Physics
Rigby A
(2018)
Electron acceleration by wave turbulence in a magnetized plasma
in Nature Physics
Perrone L
(2021)
Neutrino-electron magnetohydrodynamics in an expanding universe
in Physical Review D
Bott AFA
(2021)
Inefficient Magnetic-Field Amplification in Supersonic Laser-Plasma Turbulence.
in Physical review letters
Ross JS
(2017)
Transition from Collisional to Collisionless Regimes in Interpenetrating Plasma Flows on the National Ignition Facility.
in Physical review letters
Miniati F
(2018)
Axion-Driven Cosmic Magnetogenesis during the QCD Crossover.
in Physical review letters
Arrowsmith C
(2021)
Generating ultradense pair beams using 400 GeV / c protons
in Physical Review Research
Cross JE
(2016)
Theory of density fluctuations in strongly radiative plasmas.
in Physical review. E
Description | We have performed initial experiments aimed at measuring the acceleration of electrons and protons in a turbulent plasma. These experiments have been performed at the LULI and OMEGA laser facilities. At LULI, we have found evidence of electron acceleration by lower-hybrid waves. This result indicates that wave-plasma turbulence can be important in the pre-acceleration mechanism and the result obtained here can be used to explain excess x-ray emission seen, for example, around comets entering the solar system. This work has been published in Nature Physics. On the OMEGA laser, instead, we have looked at the effect of turbulence in the propagation of charged particles (protons). The results of the experiment clearly show that as the magnetized turbulence is increased, there is marked enhancement of the proton diffusion. These results are also important for the understanding of the propagation of cosmic rays throughout the interstellar and intergalactic medium. Our work has been accepted in the Astrophysical Journal. In the last part of the project, we have also started to look at the energy change of these protons, a process known as Fermi acceleration. While we have used a simplified model of the turbulence, our calculations indicate that the energy gain is large enough to possibly become measurable on facilities like NIF and LMJ. This work could lie the basis for a future experimental proposal to those lasers. |
Exploitation Route | The data provided by these experiments provides important benchmarks for the understanding of processes related to cosmic ray physics. This has impact in astronomy and astrophysics as well as plasma science. |
Sectors | Education,Energy |
Description | The results of our work have appeared in Nature Physics. We have done a press release and expect interest in the scientific community and the general public to raise. We have also presented the work on proton diffusion at several international meetings and conferences in plasma astrophysics. We have recently performed an experiment at the GSI accelerator facility. The results from this experiment are extremely encouraging and we expect this will also generate impact in the scientific community |
Sector | Education,Other |
Impact Types | Cultural |
Description | Don Lamb |
Organisation | University of Chicago |
Department | Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We provide the team in Chicago our expertise in the experimental diagnostics. |
Collaborator Contribution | Don Lamb and his team provides us access to the FLASH code. Also, because of this collaboration, we can submit applications for laser time on the Omega laser facility |
Impact | Astronomy, Plasma Physics, Lasers |
Start Year | 2010 |
Title | Software for "Building high accuracy emulators for scientific simulations with deep neural architecture search" |
Description | This is the code and datasets for "Building high accuracy emulators for scientific simulations with deep neural architecture search". |
Type Of Technology | Software |
Year Produced | 2020 |
Open Source License? | Yes |
URL | https://zenodo.org/record/3782843 |
Title | Software for "Building high accuracy emulators for scientific simulations with deep neural architecture search" |
Description | This is the code and datasets for "Building high accuracy emulators for scientific simulations with deep neural architecture search". |
Type Of Technology | Software |
Year Produced | 2020 |
Open Source License? | Yes |
URL | https://zenodo.org/record/3782842 |