Laboratory Study of Rayleigh–Taylor Instability in a Laser Plasma Interacting with an External Magnetic Field
摘要
We present the results of an experimental study of instability developing in high-speed (speed v ∼ 500 km/s) plasma flows propagating in an external magnetic field with induction about 14 T. High-speed plasma flows were created as a result of irradiation of the Teflon target by nanosecond pumping laser pulses of the PEARL laser facility. It has been demonstrated that at the stage of plasma confinement by a magnetic field, a Rayleigh–Taylor instability develops in the form of flutes on the surface of the plasma cavity. Instability is observed when the plasma spreads both along and across an external uniform magnetic field and rapidly passes into the nonlinear phase, which allows the plasma to penetrate into the magnetic field region.