Related papers: Magnetic field amplification by a nonlinear electr…
(Abridged) This paper addresses the issue of magnetic field generation in a relativistic shock precursor through micro-instabilities. The level of magnetization of the upstream plasma turns out to be a crucial parameter, notably because the…
In continuation of previous work, numerical results are presented, concerning relativistically counter-streaming plasmas. Here, the relativistic mixed mode instability evolves through, and beyond, the linear saturation -- well into the…
We report on a first-principles numerical and theoretical study of plasma dynamo in a fully kinetic framework. By applying an external mechanical force to an initially unmagnetized plasma, we develop a self-consistent treatment of the…
Plasma instabilities (e.g., Buneman, Weibel and other two-stream instabilities) excited in collisionless shocks are responsible for particle (electron, positron, and ion) acceleration. Using a new 3-D relativistic particle-in-cell code, we…
Magnetic fields are ubiquitous in the Universe. Extragalactic disks, halos and clusters have consistently been shown, via diffuse radio-synchrotron emission and Faraday rotation measurements, to exhibit magnetic field strengths ranging from…
Laser experiments are becoming established as a new tool for astronomical research that complements observations and theoretical modeling. Localized strong magnetic fields have been observed at a shock front of supernova explosions.…
The analytical theory of non-linear generation of large-scale magnetic turbulence in anisotropic magnetoactive plasma in the quasilinear approximation without taking into account the direct non-linear interaction of individual harmonics is…
We present an analytical estimate for the magnetic field strength generated by the Weibel instability in ultra-relativistic shocks in a hydrogen plasma. We find that the Weibel instability is, by itself, not capable of converting the…
Efficient acceleration of cosmic rays (via the mechanism of diffusive shock acceleration) requires turbulent, amplified magnetic fields in the shock's upstream region. We present results of multidimensional particle-in-cell simulations…
We present experimental observations of electron-scale structures in an expanding high-energy-density (HED) plasma generated with a modest intensity $\sim 2 \times 10^{14}$ W/cm$^2$, $\sim1$ ns laser. The observed structures have…
The filamentation (Weibel) instability plays a key role in the formation of collisionless shocks which are thought to produce Gamma-Ray-Bursts and High-Energy-Cosmic-Rays in astrophysical environments. While it has been known for long that…
The evolution of the filamentation instability produced by two counter-streaming pair plasmas is studied with particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations in both one (1D) and two (2D) spatial dimensions. Radiation friction effects on particles are…
We derive analytically the vorticity generated downstream of a two-dimensional rippled hydromagnetic shock neglecting fluid viscosity and resistivity. The growth of the turbulent component of the downstream magnetic field is driven by the…
The onset and evolution of magnetic fields in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas is determined by several mechanisms, including instabilities, dynamo effects and ultra-high energy particle flows through gas, plasma and interstellar-media.…
We study collective processes for an electron beam propagating through a background plasma using simulations and analytical theory. A new regime where the instability of a Langmuir wave packet can grow locally much faster than ion frequency…
We discuss magnetic field generation by the proton Weibel instability in relativistic shocks, a situation that applies to the external shocks in the fireball model for Gamma-ray Bursts, and possibly also to internal shocks. Our analytical…
For finite systems boundaries can introduce remarkable novel features. A well known example is the Casimir effect [1, 2] that is observed in quantum electrodynamic systems. In classical systems too novel effects associated with finite…
The transition between non resonant (Weibel-type) and resonant (whistler) instabilities is investigated numerically in plasma configurations with an ambient magnetic field of increasing amplitudes. The Vlasov-Maxwell system is solved in a…
The production of weakly relativistic plasma by microwave electric field with circular polarization has been studied. Electron distribution function obtained for this produced plasma and shown that it is non-equilibrium and anisotropic. It…
The Weibel instability could be responsible for the generation of magnetic fields in various objects such as gamma-ray bursts, jets from active galactic nuclei, and clusters of galaxies. Using numerical simulations, the development of the…