Related papers: Practicality of magnetic compression for plasma de…
Proposals to reach the next generation of laser intensities through Raman or Brillouin backscattering have centered on optical frequencies. Higher frequencies are beyond the range of such methods mainly due to the wave damping that…
The interaction of two lasers with a difference frequency near that of the ambient plasma frequency produces beat waves that can resonantly accelerate thermal electrons. These beat waves can be used to drive electron current and thereby…
Magnetic energy around compact objects often dominates over plasma rest mass, and its dissipation can power the object luminosity. We describe a dissipation mechanism which works faster than magnetic reconnection. The mechanism involves two…
Magnetic energy around astrophysical compact objects can strongly dominate over plasma rest mass. Emission observed from these systems may be fed by dissipation of Alfv\'en wave turbulence, which cascades to small damping scales, energizing…
Plasma in the earth's magnetosphere is subjected to compression during geomagnetically active periods and relaxation in subsequent quiet times. Repeated compression and relaxation is the origin of much of the plasma dynamics and…
We have explored the thermodynamics of compressed magnetized plasmas in laboratory experiments and we call these studies "magnetothermodynamics". The experiments are carried out in the Swarthmore Spheromak eXperiment device. In this device,…
Plasma-mediated interaction between astrophysical objects can play an important role and produce electromagnetic radiation in various binary systems, ranging from planet-moon and star-planet systems to binary compact objects. We perform 3D…
In solar flares and other astrophysical systems, a major challenge for solving particle acceleration problem associated with magnetic reconnection is the enormous scale separation between kinetic scales and observed reconnection scale.…
We study the compression driven magnetic reconnection in the relativistic electron-positron plasma. Making use of a 2.5D particle-in-cell code, we simulated compression of a magnetized plasma layer containing a current sheet within it. We…
This work describes the scientific basis and associated simulation results for the magnetization of an unmagnetized plasma via beat wave current drive. Two-dimensional electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulations have been performed for a…
A high energy density plasma embedded in a neutral gas is able to launch an outward-propagating nonlinear electrostatic ionization wave that traps energetic electrons. The trapping maintains a strong sheath electric field, enabling rapid…
Alfv\'enic turbulence is an effective mechanism for particle acceleration in strongly magnetized, relativistic plasma. In this study, we investigate a scenario where turbulent plasma is influenced by a strong guide magnetic field, resulting…
Plasma processes close to SNR shocks result in the amplification of magnetic fields and in the acceleration of electrons, injecting them into the diffusive acceleration mechanism. The acceleration of electrons and the B field amplification…
Understanding plasma self-magnetization is one of the fundamental challenges in both laboratory and astrophysical plasmas. Self-magnetization can modify the plasma transport properties, altering the dynamical evolution of plasmas. Multiple…
This work presents an analysis of the ion outflow from magnetic reconnection throughout fully kinetic simulations with typical laboratory plasmas values. A symmetric initial configuration for the density and magnetic field is considered…
Magnetized oblique shocks are of interest in various plasmas, including in astrophysical systems, magneto-inertial confinement fusion experiments, and in aerospace applications. Through experiments on the COBRA pulsed power facility…
It has been proposed that particles bouncing between magnetized flows converging in a reconnection region can be accelerated by the first order Fermi mechanism. Analytical considerations of this mechanism have shown that the spectral index…
A new kind of dynamo utilizing flowing laboratory plasmas has been identified. Conversion of plasma kinetic energy to magnetic energy is verified numerically by kinematic dynamo simulations for magnetic Reynolds numbers above 210. As…
Laser-plasma accelerators offer a compact means of producing high-energy electron beams, but their performance is fundamentally limited by dephasing between the accelerated electrons and the plasma wave. To overcome this limitation, we…
We perform 2D and 3D kinetic simulations of reconnection-mediated turbulent flares in a magnetized electron-positron plasma, with weak and strong radiative cooling. Such flares can be generated around neutron stars and accreting black…