Related papers: Observation of fast current redistribution in an i…
In the paradigm of magnetic acceleration of relativistic outflows, a crucial point is identifying a viable mechanism to convert the Poynting flux into the kinetic energy of the plasma, and eventually into the observed radiation. Since the…
The low-frequency instability of a magnetized plasma column and the anomalous radial plasma convection are shown to be linked with the existence of a radial cross-field current along a plasma channel rotating around the central magnetized…
Very strong magnetic fields can arise in non-central heavy-ion collisions at ultrarelativistic energies, which may not decay quickly in a conducting plasma. We carry out relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (RMHD) simulations to study the…
We analyze the evolution of current driven kink instabilities of a highly magnetized relativistic plasma column, focusing in particular on its dissipation properties. The instability evolution leads to the formation of thin current sheets…
Dynamics of the magnetospheric plasma configuration intrinsically features intermittent slow and fast phases. The fast transition is a nonlinear process, loss of equilibrium which ends up the slow quasi-static evolution. The process is…
The paper considers the dynamics of the plasma generated by the explosive-emission cells of the cathode spot of a vacuum arc in a magnetic field. It is shown that the expansion of the (high-density) plasma in a transverse magnetic field may…
The ion kinetic energy in a stagnating plasma was previously determined by Kroupp et al. (Kroupp et al., 2011), from Doppler-dominated lineshapes augmented by measurements of plasma properties and assuming a uniform-plasma model. Notably,…
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.…
The expansion of a magnetized high-pressure plasma into a low-pressure ambient medium is examined with particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. The magnetic field points perpendicularly to the plasma's expansion direction and binary collisions…
Strong gradients in plasma flows play a major role in space and astrophysical plasmas. A typical situation is that a static plasma equilibrium is surrounded by a plasma flow, which can lead to strong plasma flow gradients at the…
We show how the conversion of magnetic field energy via magnetic reconnection can progress in a fully three-dimensional, fast, volume-filling regime. An initial configuration representative of many laboratory, space and astrophysical…
Magnetized plasmas with equilibrium density gradients support drift-wave turbulence, which is often regulated by self-generated zonal flows. In this work, we experimentally examine the effect of increasing the magnetic field on turbulence…
Experiments with interacting high-velocity flows of laser plasma can help answer the fundamental questions in plasma physics and improve the understanding of the mechanisms behind astrophysical phenomena, such as formation of collisionless…
Propagation of relativistically intense azimuthally or radially polarized laser pulses (RPP) in underdense plasmas is demonstrated to be unstable, via 3D particle-in-cell simulation and disregarding the Kerr non-linearity. Strong pulse…
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…
We study the long term evolution of magnetic fields generated by a collisionless relativistic $e^+e^-$ shock which is initially unmagnetized. Our 2D particle-in-cell numerical simulations show that downstream of such a Weibel-mediated…
The propagation of a superintense laser pulse in an underdense, inhomogeneous plasma has been studied numerically by two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations on a time scale extending up to several picoseconds. The effects of the ion…
Instabilities in relativistic magnetized jets are thought to be deeply connected to their energy dissipation properties and to the consequent acceleration of the non-thermal emitting relativistic particles. Instabilities lead to the…
The energy production through thermo-nuclear fusion requires the confinement of the plasma into a bounded domain. In most of the cases, such configurations are obtained by using strong magnetic fields. Several models exist for describing…
Recent diagnostic advances in gas-puff Z pinches at the Weizmann Institute for the first time allow the reconstruction of the current flow as a function of time and radius. These experiments show an unexpected radially-outward motion of the…