• Bland, S.
• Beg, S.
• Chittenden, J.
• Lebedev, S.
• Ampleford, D.
• Haines, M. G.
• Ciardi, Andrea
• Frank, A.
• Blackman, E.
• Gardiner, T.
• Hughes, S.

Abstract

We present astrophysically relevent experiments on the generation of a highly supersonic plasma jet by a convergent plasma flow. The flow is produced by electrodynamic acceleration of plasma in a conical array of fine metallic wires (a modification of the wire array Z-pinch). Stagnation of the plasma flow on the axis of symmetry forms a standing conical shock, which effectively collimates the flow in the axial direction. This scenario is essentially similar to that discussed by Cantó et al 1988 as a possible, purely hydrodynamic mechanism of jet formation in young stellar objects. Experiments using different materials (Al, Fe and W) show that a highly supersonic (M 20) and a well-collimated jet is generated when the radiative cooling rate of the plasma is significant. The interaction of this jet with a plasma target could be used for scaled laboratory astrophysical experiments on hydrodynamic instabilities in decelerated plasma flow. <P />...

Topics

• impedance spectroscopy
• experiment
• wire