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PLASMA PHYSICS

Galaxy cluster cores in a lab

Nature Reviews Physics volume 4, page 217 (2022)Cite this article

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Two plasmas were created by vaporizing two plastic foils with laser beams. Before the plasma flows could collide, they had to pass through a plastic mesh grid, so that the flows were disturbed and the collision was turbulent. Because the plasma is non-uniform, local magnetic fields are generated, driven by electron pressure gradients. The key to replicating galaxy conditions in the laboratory is to balance strong stochastic magnetic fields with weak collisions between the electrons. Weak and infrequent collisions mean that electrons follow the magnetic field lines. The researchers found that electron conduction perpendicular to the magnetic field lines was suppressed — meaning that heat could not easily escape from the centre of the plasma. By measuring X-ray emissions, the team were able to map out the temperature of the plasma, finding pockets of hot plasma, as is the case for galaxy clusters.

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References

Original article

  • Meinecke, J. et al. Strong suppression of heat conduction in a laboratory replica of galaxy-cluster turbulent plasmas. Sci. Adv. 8, eabj6799 (2022).

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  1. Nature Reviews Physics https://www.nature.com/natrevphys/

    Ankita Anirban

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  1. Ankita Anirban
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Correspondence to Ankita Anirban.

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Anirban, A. Galaxy cluster cores in a lab. Nat Rev Phys 4, 217 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42254-022-00448-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42254-022-00448-0

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