Thursday, September 24th , 2020

3:45 – 4:45 p.m.

WEBEX


Speaker: Kirk Flippo

 

  P-24: PLASMA PHYSICS

LANL

 

 

“Down to Earth: A Look at Laboratory Astrophysics using Lasers”

 

 

 

Abstract: 

 

Large and medium scale laser facilities around the world are increasingly being used to study astrophysical phenomena in the lab. LANL has been engaged is various aspects of laboratory astrophysics mainly through our programs in high energy density physics. This is the regime where the energy density of the system exceeds 100 GJ per cubic meter, or greater than 1 Mbar in pressure (about 1 Million atmospheres). These conditions can be achieved in small volumes in the lab via diamond anvil cells, or by using high-power lasers. Facilities like the Omega and Omega EP lasers in upstate NY, or the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, CA offer users the ability to access warm dense matter states, like that thought to exist deep inside large gas giants like Jupiter, or diamond rain on Neptune. Less extreme environments can be created and studied too, like that of a bow shock formed from the solar wind interacting with a planetary magnetic field, or turbulent primordial plasma dynamos magnetizing the early universe. In the near future burning inertial fusion implosion will be able to study nucleosynthesis inside stars and neutron star mergers. Importantly, dimensionless numbers such as fluid Reynolds number Re and magnetic Reynolds number Rm can be quite large (derived from high temperature, high density and fast speed). The ratio of these numbers Rm/Re is the Prandtl number which is important dimensionless parameter for many magnetized astrophysical systems.  This talk will review these topics and focus on three experiments, super nova remnant interactions, turbulent dynamos, and self-magnetization of flowing plasmas. These experiments all contribute to programs at LANL directly and indirectly by the tools and models developed and our foundational physical understanding of such plasmas.