• Haines, M. G.
• Beg, F. N.
• Chittenden, Jerry
• Ciardi, Andrea
• Lebedev, Sergey
• Bland, Simon

Abstract

We will present experiments on the generation of a highly supersonic plasma jet by a convergent plasma flow, produced by electrodynamic acceleration of plasma in a conical array of fine metallic wires (a modification of the wire array Z-pinch [1]). 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. [2] 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 [3] laboratory astrophysical experiments on hydrodynamic instabilities in decelerated plasma flow. [1] M.K. Matzen, Phys. Plasmas v.4, 1519 (1997) [2] J. Cantó, et. al. Astron. Astrophys. v.192, 287 (1994). [3] D. Ryutov et al., ApJ, v.518, 821 (1999) <P />...

Topics

• impedance spectroscopy
• experiment
• wire