Speaker
Description
As the field of laser-driven laboratory astrophysics continues to grow in interest, there is a heightened demand to conduct more comprehensive research into the coupling between the piston and ambient magnetized plasma. The facilities at UCLA offer a unique combination of a high-power, high-repetition rate laser ($>10^{12}$ W/cm$^2$) with the quiescent, magnetized ambient plasma of the Large Plasma Device (LAPD). The repeatability of the experiments conducted at UCLA allows for comprehensive parameter scans in conjunction with precise, volumetric data collection that can complement the relative limited datasets produced at large scale laser facilities. Here, we conduct a large-scale survey of the interaction between a laser-driven piston plasma and the ambient, magnetized plasma. This is achieved by varying the ambient plasma (H, D, He), magnetic field (300-900 G), and density ($1 - 4\cdot10^{13}$ cm$^{-3}$) in order to maximize both the Mach number (v/v$_A$) and collisionless coupling. A laser-induced fluorescence diagnostic was developed to measure the two-dimensional spatial and temporal maps of ion velocity distribution functions and phase-space in the piston plasma throughout the coupling process.
