Experimental demonstration of an inertial collimation mechanism in nested outflows.
Interaction between a central outflow and a surrounding wind is common in astrophysical sources powered by accretion. Understanding how the interaction might help to collimate the inner central outflow is of interest for assessing astrophysical jet formation paradigms. In this context, we studied the interaction between two nested supersonic plasma flows generated by focusing a long-pulse high-energy laser beam onto a solid target. A nested geometry was created by shaping the energy distribution at the focal spot with a dedicated phase plate. Optical and x-ray diagnostics were used to study the interacting flows. Experimental results and numerical hydrodynamic simulations indeed show the formation of strongly collimated jets. Our work experimentally confirms the "shock-focused inertial confinement" mechanism proposed in previous theoretical astrophysics investigations.
LULI, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS, CEA, UPMC, Route de Saclay, 91128 Palaiseau, France.
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Yurchak
LULI, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS, CEA, UPMC, Route de Saclay, 91128 Palaiseau, France.
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Ravasio
LULI, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS, CEA, UPMC, Route de Saclay, 91128 Palaiseau, France.
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Pelka
Joint Institute for High Temperatures RAS, 13-2 Izhorskaya street, Moscow 125412, Russia.
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Pikuz
CEA-DAM-DIF, F-91297 Arpajon, France.
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Falize
LULI, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS, CEA, UPMC, Route de Saclay, 91128 Palaiseau, France.
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Vinci
LULI, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS, CEA, UPMC, Route de Saclay, 91128 Palaiseau, France.
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Koenig
CEA-DAM-DIF, F-91297 Arpajon, France.
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Loupias
LULI, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS, CEA, UPMC, Route de Saclay, 91128 Palaiseau, France.
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Benuzzi-Mounaix
Flash Center for Computational Science, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
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Fatenejad
Flash Center for Computational Science, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
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Tzeferacos
Flash Center for Computational Science, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
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Lamb
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA.
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Blackman