Perpendicular Subcritical Shock Structure in a Collisional Plasma Experiment

Russell, Daniel R.; Burdiak, G. C.; Carroll-Nellenback, J. J.; Halliday, J. W. D.; Hare, J. D.; Merlini, S.; Suttle, L. G.; Valenzuela-Villaseca, V.; Eardley, S. J.; Fullalove, J. A.; Rowland, G. C.; Smith, R. A.; Frank, A.; Hartigan, P.; Velikovich, A. L.; Chittenden, J. P.; Lebedev, S. V.

doi:10.1103/physrevlett.129.225001

DOE OSTI · 2342099

Perpendicular Subcritical Shock Structure in a Collisional Plasma Experiment

Russell, Daniel R.·Burdiak, G. C.·Carroll-Nellenback, J. J.·Halliday, J. W. D.·Hare, J. D.·Merlini, S.·Suttle, L. G.·Valenzuela-Villaseca, V.·Eardley, S. J.·Fullalove, J. A.·Rowland, G. C.·Smith, R. A.·Frank, A.·Hartigan, P.·Velikovich, A. L.·Chittenden, J. P.·Lebedev, S. V.

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Abstract

We present a study of perpendicular subcritical shocks in a collisional laboratory plasma. Shocks are produced by placing obstacles into the supermagnetosonic outflow from an inverse wire array z pinch. We demonstrate the existence of subcritical shocks in this regime and find that secondary shocks form in the downstream. Detailed measurements of the subcritical shock structure confirm the absence of a hydrodynamic jump. We calculate the classical (Spitzer) resistive diffusion length and show that it is approximately equal to the shock width. As a result, we measure little heating across the shock (<10 % of the ion kinetic energy) which is consistent with an absence of viscous dissipation.

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70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY Laboratory studies of space & astrophysical plasmas Shock waves Shock waves & discontinuities in plasma

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Russell, Daniel R., Burdiak, G. C., Carroll-Nellenback, J. J., Halliday, J. W. D., Hare, J. D., Merlini, S., Suttle, L. G., Valenzuela-Villaseca, V., Eardley, S. J., Fullalove, J. A., Rowland, G. C., Smith, R. A., Frank, A., Hartigan, P., Velikovich, A. L., Chittenden, J. P., Lebedev, S. V.. 2022-11-22. Perpendicular Subcritical Shock Structure in a Collisional Plasma Experiment. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.129.225001

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