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The transverse dynamics of a pure electron plasma confined in a Penning–Malmberg trap is investigated, taking advantage of two-dimensional particle-in-cell numerical simulations. The evolution of the electron plasma turbulence is studied by means of a wavelet-based multiresolution analysis. In particular, a modified recursive denoising algorithm is developed to separate coherent and incoherent (not necessarily homogeneous) components of the flow. A set of simulations have been carried out changing systematically the radii of an initial annular density distribution of the electrons. The results of the multiresolution analysis indicate that the initial density configuration may have a considerable effect on the evolution of turbulence. Even very small initial density fluctuations can lead to quite different final states, especially in the presence of multiple active diocotron modes characterized by similar growth rates.

The construction of a novel Laser driven Light Ions Acceleration Line (L3IA) is progressing rapidly towards the operation, following the recent upgrade of the ILIL-PW laser facility. The Line was designed following the pilot experimental activity carried out earlier at the same facility to define design parameters and to identify main components including target control and diagnostic equipment, also in combination with the numerical simulations for the optimization of laser and target parameters. A preliminary set of data was acquired following the successful commissioning of the laser system >100 TW upgrade. Data include output from a range of different ion detectors and optical diagnostics installed for qualification of the laser-target interaction. An overview of the results is given along with a description of the relevant upgraded laser facility and features.

A study of the free relaxation of turbulence in a two-dimensional (2D) flow is presented, with a focus on the role of the initial vorticity conditions. Exploiting a well-known analogy with 2D inviscid incompressible fluids, the system investigated here is a magnetized pure electron plasma. The dynamics of this system are simulated by means of a 2D particle-in-cell code, starting from different spiral density (vorticity) distributions.A wavelet multiresolution analysis is adopted, which allows the coherent and incoherent parts of the flow to be separated. Comparison of the turbulent evolution in the different cases is based on the investigation of the time evolution of statistical properties, including the probability distribution functions and structure functions of the vorticity increments. It is also based on an analysis of the enstrophy evolution and its spectrum for the two components.In particular, while the statistical features assess the degree of flow intermittency, spectral analysis allows us not only to estimate the time required to reach a state of fully developed turbulence, but also estimate its dependence on the thickness of the initial spiral density distribution, accurately tracking the dynamics of both the coherent structures and the turbulent background. The results are compared with those relevant to annular initial vorticity distributions (Chen et al 2015 J. Plasma Phys. 81 495810511).