We present new, third-epoch HST Hα and [S II] images of three HH jets (HH 1&2, HH 34, and HH 47) and compare these images with those from the previous epochs. The high-spatial resolution, coupled with a time-series whose cadence is of order both the hydrodynamical and radiative cooling timescales of the flow allows us to follow the hydrodynamical/magnetohydrodynamical evolution of an astrophysical plasma system in which ionization and radiative cooling play significant roles. Cooling zones behind the shocks are resolved, so it is possible to identify which way material flows through a given shock wave. The images show that heterogeneity is paramount in these jets, with clumps dominating the morphologies of both bow shocks and their Mach disks. This clumpiness exists on scales smaller than the jet widths and determines the behavior of many of the features in the jets. Evidence also exists for considerable shear as jets interact with their surrounding molecular clouds, and in several cases we observe shock waves as they form and fade where material emerges from the source and as it proceeds along the beam of the jet. Fine-structure within two extended bow shocks may result from Mach stems that form at the intersection points of oblique shocks within these clumpy objects. Taken together, these observations represent the most significant foray thus far into the time domain for stellar jets, and comprise one of the richest data sets in existence for comparing the behavior of a complex astrophysical plasma flows with numerical simulations and laboratory experiments.
Large-scale directional outflows of supersonic plasma, also known as 'jets', are ubiquitous phenomena in astrophysics [1]. The interaction of such jets with surrounding matter often results in spectacular bow shocks, and intense radiation from radio to gamma-ray wavelengths. The traditional approach to understanding such phenomena is through theoretical analysis and numerical simulations. However, such numerical simulations have limited resolution, often assume axial symmetry, do not include all relevant physical processes, and fail to scale correctly in Reynolds number and perhaps other key dimensionless parameters.
Supersonic fluid flow and the interaction of strong shock waves to produce jets of material are ubiquitous features of inertial confinement fusion ͑ICF͒, astrophysics, and other fields of high energy-density science. The availability of large laser systems provides an opportunity to investigate such hydrodynamic systems in the laboratory, and to test their modeling by radiation hydrocodes. We describe experiments to investigate the propagation of a structured shock front within a radiation-driven target assembly, the formation of a supersonic jet of material, and the subsequent interaction of this jet with an ambient medium in which a second, ablatively driven shock wave is propagating. The density distribution within the jet, the Kelvin-Helmholz roll-up at the tip of the jet, and the jet's interaction with the counterpropagating shock are investigated by x-ray backlighting. The experiments were designed and modeled using radiation hydrocodes developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory, AWE, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The same hydrocodes are being used to model a large number of other ICF and high energy-density physics experiments. Excellent agreement between the different simulations and the experimental data is obtained, but only when the full geometry of the experiment, including both laser-heated hohlraum targets ͑driving the jet and counter-propagating shock͒, is included. The experiments were carried out at the University of Rochester's Omega laser ͓J. M. Soures et al., Phys. Plasmas 3, 2108 ͑1996͔͒.
The radiative opacity of a near local thermodynamic equilibrium, open-M-shell Ge plasma has been measured in the region of the 2p-3d and 2p-4d transition arrays, and is compared for the first time with the results of a detailed configuration-accounting calculation which includes an approximate treatment of term widths. The plasma was generated by radiation heating using thermal x radiation from a laserproduced gold plasma. Temperature and density were characterized in experiments which observed the absorption spectra of Al and Mg plasmas and by radiographic measurements of the expansion of the heated foil samples.
This paper reviews recent developments and achievements in the program of planar foil instability experiments being performed at the AWE HELEN laser. Point projection Xray backlighting, with spectroscopy, is used to measure hydrodynamic mix in radiatively accelerated ablator/foil packages; the mix is identified in the experimental radiograph from the overlap of distinguishable spectral absorption features associated with each of the constituent materials.The first part of the paper describes the backlighting technique, and briefly summarizes progress made in the past two years, leading to the first results being obtained on a “high mix” Parylene-C ablator/molybdenum payload package. The second part considers the full analysis of one such ‘high mix’ shot (Shot 7772), describing how the spatial distribution of mix has been quantified and considering the various sources of error. Comparisons are made with both one-dimensional and two-dimensional hydrocode simulations. Finally, various improvements and extensions to the experiment and codes are indicated.
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