Weibel instability-mediated collisionless shocks in laser-irradiated dense plasmas:Prevailing role of the electrons in the turbulence generation

TL;DR

This paper uses particle-in-cell simulations to show how laser-heated electrons induce Weibel instability, creating magnetic turbulence that helps form collisionless shocks in dense plasmas.

Contribution

It demonstrates the dominant role of electrons in turbulence generation via Weibel instability in laser-driven dense plasma shocks.

Findings

Electrons heat up and generate return currents that trigger Weibel instability.

Magnetic turbulence effectively isotropizes ions in the plasma.

Simulation results highlight the importance of electron dynamics in shock formation.

Abstract

We present a particle-in-cell simulation of the generation of a collisionless turbulent shock in a dense plasma driven by an ultra-high-intensity laser pulse. From the linear analysis, we highlight the crucial role of the laser-heated and return-current electrons in triggering a strong Weibel-like instability, giving rise to a magnetic turbulence able to isotropize the target ions.