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- Title
Laboratory evidence of confinement and acceleration of wide-angle flows by toroidal magnetic fields.
- Authors
Lei, Z.; Li, L. X.; Zhao, Z. H.; Sun, W.; An, H. H.; Yuan, D. W.; Xie, Y.; Yuan, W. Q.; He, S. K.; Cheng, L.; Zhang, Z.; Zhong, J. Y.; Wang, W.; Zhu, B. Q.; Zhou, W. M.; Zhou, C. T.; Zhu, S. P.; Zhu, J. Q.; He, X. T.; Qiao, B.
- Abstract
Astrophysical jets play crucial roles in star formation and transporting angular momentum away from accretion discs, however, their collimation mechanism is still a subject of much debate due to the limitations of astronomical observational techniques and facilities. Here, a quasi-static toroidal magnetic field is generated through the interaction between lasers and a four-post nickel target, and our all-optical laboratory experiments reveal that a wide-angle plasma plume can be collimated in the presence of toroidal magnetic fields. Besides the confinement effects, the experiments show the jet can also be accelerated by the enhanced thermal pressure due to the toroidal magnetic fields compressing the flow. These findings are verified by radiation magneto-hydrodynamic simulations. The experimental results suggest certain astrophysical narrow plasma flows may be produced by the confinement of wide-angle winds through toroidal fields. Astrophysical jets are pivotal in the process of star formation, yet the mechanism responsible for their collimation remains a topic of intense debate, largely due to the constraints imposed by astronomical observational techniques and facilities. In this study, the authors demonstrate that a wide-angle plasma plume can undergo collimation and acceleration when subjected to toroidal magnetic fields, as evidenced by all-optical laboratory experiments.
- Subjects
TOROIDAL plasma; MAGNETIC fields; ASTROPHYSICAL jets; STELLAR evolution; PLASMA astrophysics; PLASMA flow; ACCRETION disks
- Publication
Communications Physics, 2024, p1
- ISSN
2399-3650
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/s42005-024-01594-w