Numerical simulations of laser-driven experiments of ion acceleration in stochastic magnetic fields

We present numerical simulations used to interpret laser-driven plasma experiments at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research. The mechanisms by which non-thermal particles are accelerated in astrophysical environments, e.g., the solar wind, supernova remnants, and gamma ray bursts, is a topic of intense study. When shocks are present, the primary acceleration mechanism is believed to be first-order Fermi, which accelerates particles as they cross a shock. Second-order Fermi acceleration can also contribute, utilizing magnetic mirrors for particle energization. Despite this mechanism being less efficient, the ubiquity of magnetized turbulence in the universe necessitates its consideration. Another acceleration mechanism is the lower-hybrid drift instability, arising from gradients of both density and magnetic field, which produce lower-hybrid waves with an electric field that energizes particles as they cross these waves. With the combination of high-powered laser systems and particle accelerators, it is possible to study the mechanisms behind cosmic-ray acceleration in the laboratory. In this work, we combine experimental results and high-fidelity three-dimensional simulations to estimate the efficiency of ion acceleration in a weakly magnetized interaction region. We validate the FLASH magneto-hydrodynamic code with experimental results and use OSIRIS particle-in-cell code to verify the initial formation of the interaction region, showing good agreement between codes and experimental results. We find that the plasma conditions in the experiment are conducive to the lower-hybrid drift instability, yielding an increase in energy ΔE of ∼ 264 keV for 242 MeV calcium ions.

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Publication Details

Journal
Physics of Plasmas
Published
2024-12-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0223496
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.33

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article

Numerical simulations of laser-driven experiments of ion acceleration in stochastic magnetic fields

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1 citations
Physics of Plasmas
Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics
0.33
article

Numerical simulations of laser-driven experiments of ion acceleration in stochastic magnetic fields

Adam Reyes, Brian Reville, O. Karnbach, Jack Halliday, S. Sarkar, C. A. J. Palmer, K. Moczulski, Konstantin A. Beyer, V. Bagnoud, D. Schumacher, Scott Feister, H. Nazary, P. Neumayer, C. Spindloe, Anthony Scopatz, G. Gregori, A. A. Schekochihin, Thomas F. Campbell, M. Metternich, Charles Arrowsmith, Han Wen, Francesco Miniati, A. R. Bell, Petros Tzeferacos, R. Bingham, E. C. Hansen, A. Blažević, A. F. A. Bott, D. Q. Lamb
article en
1 citations

Abstract

We present numerical simulations used to interpret laser-driven plasma experiments at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research. The mechanisms by which non-thermal particles are accelerated in astrophysical environments, e.g., the solar wind, supernova remnants, and gamma ray bursts, is a topic of intense study. When shocks are present, the primary acceleration mechanism is believed to be first-order Fermi, which accelerates particles as they cross a shock. Second-order Fermi acceleration can also contribute, utilizing magnetic mirrors for particle energization. Despite this mechanism being less efficient, the ubiquity of magnetized turbulence in the universe necessitates its consideration. Another acceleration mechanism is the lower-hybrid drift instability, arising from gradients of both density and magnetic field, which produce lower-hybrid waves with an electric field that energizes particles as they cross these waves. With the combination of high-powered laser systems and particle accelerators, it is possible to study the mechanisms behind cosmic-ray acceleration in the laboratory. In this work, we combine experimental results and high-fidelity three-dimensional simulations to estimate the efficiency of ion acceleration in a weakly magnetized interaction region. We validate the FLASH magneto-hydrodynamic code with experimental results and use OSIRIS particle-in-cell code to verify the initial formation of the interaction region, showing good agreement between codes and experimental results. We find that the plasma conditions in the experiment are conducive to the lower-hybrid drift instability, yielding an increase in energy ΔE of ∼ 264 keV for 242 MeV calcium ions.

Physics of PlasmasVol. 31(12)
Queen's University Belfast (GB), Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (GB), GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research (DE), University of Strathclyde (GB), California State University, Channel Islands (US), Technische Universität Darmstadt (DE), University of Oxford (GB), University of Chicago (US), Queens University (BD), Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics (DE), University of Rochester (US)
National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, University of Chicago, University of Rochester, UK Research and Innovation, Office of Science, National Nuclear Security Administration, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Office of Defense Programs, Los Alamos National Laboratory
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Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics
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