Symmetric and asymmetric shocked gas jets for laser-plasma experiments
Abstract
Shocks in supersonic flows offer both a high-density and sharp density gradients that can be used, for instance,for gradient injection in laser-plasma accelerators. We report on a parametric study of oblique shocks created by inserting a straight axisymmetric section at the end of a supersonic "de Laval" nozzle. The impact of different parameters such as throat diameter and straight section length is studied through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Experimental characterizations of a shocked nozzle are compared to CFD simulations and found to be in good agreement. We then introduce a newly designed asymmetric shocked gas jet, where the straight section is only present on one lateral side of the nozzle, thus providing a gas profile that can be used for density transition injection. In this case, full-3D fluid simulations and experimental measurements are compared and show excellent agreement.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2103.12408,
title = {Symmetric and asymmetric shocked gas jets for laser-plasma experiments},
author = {Lucas Rovige and Julius Huijts and Aline Vernier and Igor Andriyash and François Sylla and Vidmantas Tomkus and Valdas Girdauskas and Gediminas Raciukaitis and Juozas Dudutis and Valdemar Stankevic and Paulius Gecys and Jerome Faure},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2103.12408},
year = {2021}
}