Relativistic magnetic reconnection driven by a laser interacting with a micro-scale plasma slab

Abstract

Magnetic reconnection (MR) is a fundamental plasma process associated with conversion of the magnetic field energy into kinetic plasma energy, which is invoked to explain many non-thermal signatures in astrophysical events. Here we demonstrate that ultrafast relativistic MR in a magnetically dominated regime can be triggered by a readily available (TW-mJ-class) laser interacting with a micro-scale plasma slab. Three-dimensional (3D) particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations show that when the electrons beams excited on both sides of the slab approach the end of the plasma, MR occurs and it gives rise to efficient energy dissipation that leads to the emission of relativistic electron jets with cut-off energy ~12 MeV. The proposed scenario allows for accessing an unprecedented regime of MR in the laboratory, and may lead to experimental studies that can provide insight into open questions such as reconnection rate and particle acceleration in relativistic MR.

Magnetic field annihilation and charged particle acceleration in ultra-relativistic laser plasmas

“…Nonthermal electrons with several tens MeV energy were obtained. Due to the difficulties in preparing the experiments and the diagnostics, the research of relativistic MR is mainly addressed theoretically and numerically [68][69][70][71] .…”

Investigation Into Magnetic Reconnection Formation on Propellant Ignition in Electrical Explosion

“…In the last decades, it has been realized that a class of processes known variously as magnetic merging, magnetic field annihilation, or magnetic reconnection must be the key to change in magnetic topology [1][2][3]. Magnetic reconnection, which is the breaking and topological rearrangement of magnetic field lines in plasma, occurs everywhere in the universe, in solar flares, in solar corona, the Earth's magnetosphere, and laboratory plasmas [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. The laboratory plasmas mainly include magnetized plasma (16), laser-driven plasma [17], and two-gun plasma [18].…”

Generation of Cold Magnetized Relativistic Plasmas at the Rear of Thin Foils Irradiated by Ultra-High-Intensity Laser Pulses

“…Finally, in [18], the authors propose using micro-slabs irradiated with laser pulses along a surface to observe relativistic magnetic reconnection. It was shown numerically that when using a femtosecond laser pulse of multi-terawatt power, σ ∼ 1 can be achieved at β ∼ 0.1, and when the power is increased to a petawatt level, σ > 100 can be achieved.…”