Designing magnetically collimated jet experiments

A new technique was developed at LULI by the SPRINT team to produce very hot, fast and collimated magnetized plasma jets (using external pulsed magnetic fields) of interest for laboratory astrophysics.

To simulate jet creation and propagation, a 2D Lagrangian rad-hydro code (namely DUED, used in axisymmetric, cylindrical geometry) was coupled with a 3D Eulerian resistive MHD code (namely GORGON) in collaboration with a LERMA group. It allows reproducing the hydrodynamical evolution of the magnetized plasma jet and predicting various mechanisms, later observed during the experimental campaign, as conical shocks and Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities

A new algorithm to analyze experimental interferometric images was also developed; it performs Abel inversions to retrieve the electron density. This work is supported by the SILAMPA ANR contract.

Volume rendering of density showing structuring of the flow by the Rayleigh-Taylor filamentation instability.

Relevant publications

- B. Albertazzi et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 84, 043505 (2013) - A. Ciardi et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 025002 (2013)