Weibel-mediated filamentary structures observed in the ICF context
Abstract
In light of novel and past experimental results, we demonstrate how Weibel-mediated filamentary structures can develop in the expanding plasma plume of a laser-irradiated foil. The transverse ballistic cooling that occurs during the quasi-spherical plasma expansion naturally drives an electron pressure anisotropy, resulting in the growth of electron current filaments. This effect competes with electron-ion Coulomb collisions which tend to isotropize the electron distribution function. Based on theoretical and particle-in-cell modeling, we provide estimates of the dominant wavelength and amplitude of the self-generated magnetic fluctuations, which are found to explain experimental data obtained at the OMEGA and Laser Megajoule facilities.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2605.10412,
title = {Weibel-mediated filamentary structures observed in the ICF context},
author = {C. Ruyer and S. Bolaños and P. E. Masson Laborde and L. Gremillet and N. Blanchot and G. Boutoux and W. Cayzac and C. Courtois and S. G. Dannhoff and V. Denis and L. Le Deroff and C. K. Li and J. Fuchs and A. Grisollet and I. Lantuéjoul and R. Riquier and R. Smets and G. D. Sutcliffe and B. Vauzour},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.10412},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
Accepted for publication in Physics of Plasmas