Generation of ultrahigh-velocity ionizing shocks with petawatt-class laser pulses.
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.
Nilson
P M
PM
Department of Physics, Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ United Kingdom.
Mangles
S P D
SP
Willingale
L
L
Kaluza
M C
MC
Thomas
A G R
AG
Tatarakis
M
M
Najmudin
Z
Z
Clarke
R J
RJ
Lancaster
K L
KL
Karsch
S
S
Schreiber
J
J
Evans
R G
RG
Dangor
A E
AE
Krushelnick
K
K