Characterization of the stability and dynamics of a laser-produced plasma expanding across strong magnetic field

Abstract

Magnetized laser-produced plasmas are central to many new studies in laboratory astrophysics, inertial confinement fusion, and in industrial applications. Here we present the results of large-scale, three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamic simulations of the dynamics of a laser-produced plasma expanding into a transverse magnetic field with strength of tens of Tesla. The simulations show the plasma being confined by the strong magnetic field into a slender slab structured by the magnetized Rayleigh-Taylor instability that develops at the plasma-vacuum interface. We find that by perturbing the initial velocity of the plume the slab can develops kink-like motion which disrupt its propagation.