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Time-resolved characterization of the formation of a collisionless shock
- Publication Year :
- 2013
-
Abstract
- We report on the temporally and spatially resolved detection of the precursory stages that lead to the formation of an unmagnetized, supercritical collision-less 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 analogeous to ion reflection at supercritical collisionless shocks in supernova remnants.<br />Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters
- Subjects :
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Physics - Plasma Physics
Subjects
Details
- Database :
- arXiv
- Publication Type :
- Report
- Accession number :
- edsarx.1304.6524
- Document Type :
- Working Paper
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.205001