Rotation of self-generated electromagnetic fields by the Nernst effect and Righi–Leduc flux during an intense laser interaction with targets

Abstract The effect of an external magnetic field on the evolution of the self-generated electromagnetic field during laser ablation is investigated by using the Vlasov–Fokker–Planck simulations. It is found that the self-generated field is rotated and distorted under an external magnetic field, and for highly magnetized plasma, the rotation of the electric field becomes stable after the laser ablation. The theoretical analysis indicates that the rotation and tortuosity are primarily attributed to the advection of the Nernst effect and the Righi–Leduc (RL) flux. The curl of the self-generated field increases with the Hall parameter <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>χ</mml:mi> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">e</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:msub> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> and reaches a peak at <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>χ</mml:mi> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">e</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:msub> <mml:mo>=</mml:mo> <mml:mn>0.075</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> , then it decreases with the <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>χ</mml:mi> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">e</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:msub> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> continuous increase. As the Hall parameter increases, the RL flux contributes more than 60% to the rotation of the electric field. Furthermore, the distortion of the electric field continues to rotate after the laser ablation due to the cross-gradient Nernst transport. These findings provide theoretical references for the evolution of the self-generated electromagnetic field in laser-driven magnetized plasmas.