Letter abstract
Nature Physics 3, 853 - 856 (2007)
Published online: 28 October 2007 | doi:10.1038/nphys755
Subject Category: Plasma physics
Surface heating of wire plasmas using laser-irradiated cone geometries
J. S. Green1,2, K. L. Lancaster1, K. U. Akli3,4, C. D. Gregory5, F. N. Beg6, S. N. Chen6, D. Clark7, R. R. Freeman7, S. Hawkes1, C. Hernandez-Gomez1, H. Habara8, R. Heathcote1, D. S. Hey3,4, K. Highbarger7, M. H. Key3, R. Kodama8,9, K. Krushelnick10, I. Musgrave1, H. Nakamura9, M. Nakatsutsumi8, N. Patel4, R. Stephens11, M. Storm12, M. Tampo9, W. Theobald12, L. Van Woerkom7, R. L. Weber7, M. S. Wei6,11, N. C. Woolsey5 & P. A. Norreys1,2
Petawatt lasers can generate extreme states of matter, making them unique tools for high-energy-density physics. Pressures in the gigabar regime can potentially be generated with cone-wire targets when the coupling efficiency is high and temperatures reach 2–4 keV (ref. 1). The only other method of obtaining such gigantic pressures is to use the megajoule laser facilities being constructed (National Ignition Facility and Laser MégaJoule). The energy can be transported over surprisingly long distances but, until now, the guiding mechanism has remained unclear. Here, we present the first definitive experimental proof that the heating is maximized close to the wire surface, by comparison of interferometric measurements with hydrodynamic simulations. New hybrid particle-in-cell simulations show the complex field structures for the first time, including a reversal of the magnetic field on the inside of the wire. This increases the return current in a spatially separated thin layer below the wire surface, resulting in the enhanced level of ohmic heating. There are a significant number of applications in high-energy-density science, ranging from equation-of-state studies to bright, hard X-ray sources, that will benefit from this new understanding of energy transport.
- STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton OX11 0QX, UK
- Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BZ, UK
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, PO Box 808, Livermore, California 94550, USA
- Department of Applied Sciences, University of California, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616-8254, USA
- Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive 0411, La Jolla, California 92093-0411, USA
- Department of Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, Ohio 43210-1117, USA
- Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Suita, 565-0871 Osaka, Japan
- Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University, Suita, 565-0871 Osaka, Japan
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, 1301 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2122, USA
- General Atomics, PO Box 86508, San Diego, California 92186-5608, USA
- Laboratory of Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623, USA
Correspondence to: P. A. Norreys1,2 e-mail: p.norreys@rl.ac.uk
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