title: Generation of ultrahigh-velocity ionizing shocks with petawatt-class laser pulses.
abstract: Ultrahigh-velocity shock waves (approximately 10,000 km/s or 0.03c) are generated by focusing a 350-TW laser pulse into low-density helium gas. The collisionless ultrahigh-Mach-number electrostatic shock propagates from the plasma into the surrounding gas, ionizing gas as it becomes collisional. The shock undergoes a corrugation instability due to propagation of the ionizing shock within the gas (the Dyakov-Kontorovich instability). This system may be relevant to the study of very high-Mach-number ionizing shocks in astrophysical situations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ United Kingdom.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Nilson
authors.forename: S P D
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Mangles
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Willingale
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Kaluza
authors.forename: A G R
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tatarakis
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Najmudin
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Lancaster
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karsch
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schreiber
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Dangor
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Krushelnick