Collisionless Shocks Mediated by Shear-Flow Magnetic Fields in Ultraintense-Laser-Produced Counter-Streaming Plasmas

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Lu, Jun-Yi, Wang, Kai, Jiao, Jin-Long
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Lu, Jun-Yi
Wang, Kai
Jiao, Jin-Long
author_facet Lu, Jun-Yi
Wang, Kai
Jiao, Jin-Long
contents The formation of ion-Weibel-mediated collisionless shocks (IW-CSs) in ultraintense-laser-produced counter-streaming plasmas is investigated using particle-in-cell simulations. Analysis of the underlying microphysics reveals that a shear-flow ion-Weibel instability generates magnetic fields, which isotropize the incoming flow and mediate shock formation. An analytical expression for the shear-flow magnetic field is derived, and a scaling law relating the magnetic field amplitude to the laser intensity is established. This mechanism reduces the shock formation time and the required laser energy by three and two orders of magnitude, respectively, compared to high-power laser experiments, making it feasible to produce IW-CSs using existing multi-kilojoule, picosecond ultraintense laser facilities.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_20040
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Collisionless Shocks Mediated by Shear-Flow Magnetic Fields in Ultraintense-Laser-Produced Counter-Streaming Plasmas
Lu, Jun-Yi
Wang, Kai
Jiao, Jin-Long
Plasma Physics
The formation of ion-Weibel-mediated collisionless shocks (IW-CSs) in ultraintense-laser-produced counter-streaming plasmas is investigated using particle-in-cell simulations. Analysis of the underlying microphysics reveals that a shear-flow ion-Weibel instability generates magnetic fields, which isotropize the incoming flow and mediate shock formation. An analytical expression for the shear-flow magnetic field is derived, and a scaling law relating the magnetic field amplitude to the laser intensity is established. This mechanism reduces the shock formation time and the required laser energy by three and two orders of magnitude, respectively, compared to high-power laser experiments, making it feasible to produce IW-CSs using existing multi-kilojoule, picosecond ultraintense laser facilities.
title Collisionless Shocks Mediated by Shear-Flow Magnetic Fields in Ultraintense-Laser-Produced Counter-Streaming Plasmas
topic Plasma Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.20040