| 1. |
- Ahmed, Hamad, et al.
(författare)
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Experimental Observation of Thin-shell Instability in a Collisionless Plasma
- 2017
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP). - 2041-8205 .- 2041-8213. ; 834:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on the experimental observation of the instability of a plasma shell, which formed during the expansion of a laser-ablated plasma into a rarefied ambient medium. By means of a proton radiography technique, the evolution of the instability is temporally and spatially resolved on a timescale much shorter than the hydrodynamic one. The density of the thin shell exceeds that of the surrounding plasma, which lets electrons diffuse outward. An ambipolar electric field grows on both sides of the thin shell that is antiparallel to the density gradient. Ripples in the thin shell result in a spatially varying balance between the thermal pressure force mediated by this field and the ram pressure force that is exerted on it by the inflowing plasma. This mismatch amplifies the ripples by the same mechanism that drives the hydrodynamic nonlinear thin-shell instability (NTSI). Our results thus constitute the first experimental verification that the NTSI can develop in colliding flows.
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| 2. |
- Ahmed, Hamad, et al.
(författare)
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Time-Resolved Characterization of the Formation of a Collisionless Shock
- 2013
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - : American Physical Society. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 110:20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on the temporally and spatially resolved detection of the precursory stages that lead to the formation of an unmagnetized, supercritical collisionless shock in a laser-driven laboratory experiment. The measured evolution of the electrostatic potential associated with the shock unveils the transition from a current free double layer into a symmetric shock structure, stabilized by ion reflection at the shock front. Supported by a matching particle-in-cell simulation and theoretical considerations, we suggest that this process is analogous to ion reflection at supercritical collisionless shocks in supernova remnants.
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| 3. |
- Bret, Antoine, et al.
(författare)
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How large can the electron to proton mass ratio be in particle-in-cell simulations of unstable systems?
- 2010
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Ingår i: Physics of Plasmas. - : American Institute of Physics. - 1070-664X .- 1089-7674. ; 17:3, s. 032109-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Particle-in-cell simulations are widely used as a tool to investigate instabilities that develop between a collisionless plasma and beams of charged particles. However, even on contemporary supercomputers, it is not always possible to resolve the ion dynamics in more than one spatial dimension with such simulations. The ion mass is thus reduced below 1836 electron masses, which can affect the plasma dynamics during the initial exponential growth phase of the instability and during the subsequent nonlinear saturation. The goal of this article is to assess how far the electron to ion mass ratio can be increased, without changing qualitatively the physics. It is first demonstrated that there can be no exact similarity law, which balances a change in the mass ratio with that of another plasma parameter, leaving the physics unchanged. Restricting then the analysis to the linear phase, a criterion allowing to define a maximum ratio is explicated in terms of the hierarchy of the linear unstable modes. The criterion is applied to the case of a relativistic electron beam crossing an unmagnetized electron-ion plasma.
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| 4. |
- Bret, Antoine, et al.
(författare)
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Multidimensional electron beam-plasma instabilities in the relativistic regime
- 2010
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Ingår i: Physics of Plasmas. - : AIP Publishing. - 1070-664X .- 1089-7674. ; 17:12, s. 120501-1-120501-36
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The interest in relativistic beam-plasma instabilities has been greatly rejuvenated over the past two decades by novel concepts in laboratory and space plasmas. Recent advances in this long-standing field are here reviewed from both theoretical and numerical points of view. The primary focus is on the two-dimensional spectrum of unstable electromagnetic waves growing within relativistic, unmagnetized, and uniform electron beam-plasma systems. Although the goal is to provide a unified picture of all instability classes at play, emphasis is put on the potentially dominant waves propagating obliquely to the beam direction, which have received little attention over the years. First, the basic derivation of the general dielectric function of a kinetic relativistic plasma is recalled. Next, an overview of two-dimensional unstable spectra associated with various beam-plasma distribution functions is given. Both cold-fluid and kinetic linear theory results are reported, the latter being based on waterbag and Maxwell–Jüttner model distributions. The main properties of the competing modes (developing parallel, transverse, and oblique to the beam) are given, and their respective region of dominance in the system parameter space is explained. Later sections address particle-in-cell numerical simulations and the nonlinear evolution of multidimensional beam-plasma systems. The elementary structures generated by the various instability classes are first discussed in the case of reduced-geometry systems. Validation of linear theory is then illustrated in detail for large-scale systems, as is the multistaged character of the nonlinear phase. Finally, a collection of closely related beam-plasma problems involving additional physical effects is presented, and worthwhile directions of future research are outlined.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Bret, Antoine, et al.
(författare)
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Recent progresses in relativistic beam-plasma instability theory
- 2010
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Ingår i: Annales Geophysicae. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 0992-7689 .- 1432-0576. ; 28:11, s. 2127-2132
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Beam-plasma instabilities are a key physical process in many astrophysical phenomena. Within the fireball model of Gamma ray bursts, they first mediate a relativistic collisionless shock before they produce upstream the turbulence needed for the Fermi acceleration process. While non-relativistic systems are usually governed by flow-aligned unstable modes, relativistic ones are likely to be dominated by normally or even obliquely propagating waves. After reviewing the basis of the theory, results related to the relativistic kinetic regime of the poorly-known oblique unstable modes will be presented. Relevant systems besides the well-known electron beam-plasma interaction are presented, and it is shown how the concept of modes hierarchy yields a criterion to assess the proton to electron mass ratio in Particle in cell simulations.
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| 7. |
- Bret, Antoine, et al.
(författare)
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Theory of the formation of a collisionless Weibel shock: pair vs. electron/proton plasmas
- 2016
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Ingår i: Laser and particle beams (Print). - 0263-0346 .- 1469-803X. ; 34:2, s. 362-367
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Collisionless shocks are shocks in which the mean-free path is much larger than the shock front. They are ubiquitous in astrophysics and the object of much current attention as they are known to be excellent particle accelerators that could be the key to the cosmic rays enigma. While the scenario leading to the formation of a fluid shock is well known, less is known about the formation of a collisionless shock. We present theoretical and numerical results on the formation of such shocks when two relativistic and symmetric plasma shells (pair or electron/proton) collide. As the two shells start to interpenetrate, the overlapping region turns Weibel unstable. A key concept is the one of trapping time τp, which is the time when the turbulence in the central region has grown enough to trap the incoming flow. For the pair case, this time is simply the saturation time of the Weibel instability. For the electron/proton case, the filaments resulting from the growth of the electronic and protonic Weibel instabilities, need to grow further for the trapping time to be reached. In either case, the shock formation time is 2τp in two-dimensional (2D), and 3τp in 3D. Our results are successfully checked by particle-in-cell simulations and may help designing experiments aiming at producing such shocks in the laboratory.
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| 8. |
- Brown, M. R., et al.
(författare)
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Microphysics of Cosmic Plasmas : Hierarchies of Plasma Instabilities from MHD to Kinetic
- 2013
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Ingår i: Space Science Reviews. - : Springer Netherlands. - 0038-6308 .- 1572-9672. ; 178:2-4, s. 357-383
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this article, we discuss the idea of a hierarchy of instabilities that can rapidly couple the disparate scales of a turbulent plasma system. First, at the largest scale of the system, L, current carrying flux ropes can undergo a kink instability. Second, a kink instability in adjacent flux ropes can rapidly bring together bundles of magnetic flux and drive reconnection, introducing a new scale of the current sheet width, ℓ, perhaps several ion inertial lengths (δ i ) across. Finally, intense current sheets driven by reconnection electric fields can destabilize kinetic waves such as ion cyclotron waves as long as the drift speed of the electrons is large compared to the ion thermal speed, v D ≫v i . Instabilities such as these can couple MHD scales to kinetic scales, as small as the proton Larmor radius, ρ i .
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| 9. |
- Charlet, Arthur, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of radiative losses on the relativistic jets of high-mass microquasars
- 2022
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : edp Sciences S A. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 658
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Relativistic jets are ubiquitous in astrophysics. High-mass microquasars (HMMQs) are useful laboratories for studying these jets because they are relatively close and evolve over observable timescales. The ambient medium into which the jet propagates, however, is far from homogeneous. Corresponding simulation studies to date consider various forms of a wind-shaped ambient medium, but typically neglect radiative cooling and relativistic effects.Aims. We investigate the dynamical and structural effects of radiative losses and system parameters on relativistic jets in HMMQs, from the jet launch to its propagation over several tens of orbital separations.Methods. We used 3D relativistic hydrodynamical simulations including parameterized radiative cooling derived from relativistic thermal plasma distribution to carry out parameter studies around two fiducial cases inspired by Cygnus X-1 and Cygnus X-3.Results. Radiative losses are found to be more relevant in Cygnus X-3 than Cygnus X-1. Varying jet power, jet temperature, or the wind of the donor star tends to have a larger impact at early times, when the jet forms and instabilities initially develop, than at later times when the jet has reached a turbulent state.Conclusions. Radiative losses may be dynamically and structurally relevant at least for Cygnus X-3 and thus should be examined in more detail.
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| 10. |
- Dieckmann, Mark Eric, 1969-, et al.
(författare)
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Electric field generation by the electron beam filamentation instability: filament size effects
- 2010
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Ingår i: Physica Scripta. - BRISTOL, ENGLAND : IOP PUBLISHING LTD. - 0031-8949 .- 1402-4896. ; 81:1, s. 015502-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The filamentation instability (FI) of counter-propagating beams of electrons is modelled with a particle-in-cell simulation in one spatial dimension and with a high statistical plasma representation. The simulation direction is orthogonal to the beam velocity vector. Both electron beams have initially equal densities, temperatures and moduli of their non-relativistic mean velocities. The FI is electromagnetic in this case. A previous study of a small filament demonstrated that the magnetic pressure gradient force (MPGF) results in a nonlinearly driven electrostatic field. The probably small contribution of the thermal pressure gradient to the force balance implied that the electrostatic field performed undamped oscillations around a background electric field. Here, we consider larger filaments, which reach a stronger electrostatic potential when they saturate. The electron heating is enhanced and electrostatic electron phase space holes form. The competition of several smaller filaments, which grow simultaneously with the large filament, also perturbs the balance between the electrostatic and magnetic fields. The oscillations are damped but the final electric field amplitude is still determined by the MPGF.
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