S. Bouquet

Observation of collapsing radiative shocks in laboratory experiments

This article reports the observation of the dense, collapsed layer produced by a radiative shock in a laboratory experiment. The experiment uses laser irradiation to accelerate a thin layer of solid-density material to above 100km∕s, the first to probe such high velocities in a radiative shock. The layer in turn drives a shock wave through a cylindrical volume of Xe gas (at ∼6mg∕cm3). Radiation from the shocked Xe removes enough energy that the shocked layer increases in density and collapses spatially. This type of system is relevant to a number of astrophysical contexts, providing the potential to observe phenomena of interest to astrophysics and to test astrophysical computer codes.

Similarity Properties and Scaling Laws of Radiation Hydrodynamic Flows in Laboratory Astrophysics

The spectacular recent development of modern high-energy density laboratory facilities which concentrate more and more energy in millimetric volumes allows the astrophysical community to reproduce and to explore, in millimeter-scale targets and during very short times, astrophysical phenomena where radiation and matter are strongly coupled. The astrophysical relevance of these experiments can be checked from the similarity properties and especially scaling law establishment, which constitutes the keystone of laboratory astrophysics. From the radiating optically thin regime to the so-called optically thick radiative pressure regime, we present in this paper, for the first time, a complete analysis of the main radiating regimes that we encountered in laboratory astrophysics with the same formalism based on Lie group theory. The use of the Lie group method appears to be a systematic method which allows us to construct easily and systematically the scaling laws of a given problem. This powerful tool permits us to unify the recent major advances on scaling laws and to identify new similarity concepts that we discuss in this paper, and suggests important applications for present and future laboratory astrophysics experiments. All these results enable us to demonstrate theoretically that astrophysical phenomena in such radiating regimes can be explored experimentally thanks to powerful facilities. Consequently, the results presented here are a fundamental tool for the high-energy density laboratory astrophysics community in order to quantify the astrophysics relevance and justify laser experiments. Moreover, relying on Lie group theory, this paper constitutes the starting point of any analysis of the self-similar dynamics of radiating fluids.

Temperature and electron density measurements on laser driven radiative shocks

In this paper, new results on radiative shocks generated by a high power laser in a xenon gas cell are presented. Several shock parameters were measured: temperature, radial expansion and velocity, as well as the electron density in the radiative precursor and its velocity. Multiple laser shot allowed the investigation of physical trends changing initial conditions (laser energy and initial gas pressure). Results are compared with one- and two-dimensional radiative hydrodynamic simulations. The experiments were carried out at the LULI Laboratory.

Radiation hydrodynamics scaling laws in high energy density physics and laboratory astrophysics

In this paper, radiating fluids scaling laws are studied. We focus on optically thin and optically thick regimes which are relevant for both astrophysics and laboratory experiments. By using homothetic Lie groups, we obtain the scaling laws, the similarity properties and the number of free parameters which allow to rescale experiments in the two astrophyscial situations.

Radiative Shock Experiments at LULI

We present the set-up and the results of a supercritical radiative shock experiment performed with the LULI nanosecond laser facility. Using specific designed targets filled with xenon gaz at low pressure, the propagation of a strong shock with a radiative precursor is evidenced. The main measured quantities related to the shock (electronic density, propagation velocities, temperature, radial dimension) are presented and compared with various numerical simulations.

Numerical Study of the Vishniac Instability in Supernova Remnants

The Vishniac instability is thought to explain the complex structure of radiative supernova remnants in their Pressure-Driven Thin Shell (PDTS) phase after a blast wave (BW) has propagated from a central explosion. In this paper, the propagation of the BW and the evolution of the PDTS stage are studied numerically with the two-dimensional (2D) code HYDRO-MUSCL for a finite-thickness shell expanding in the interstellar medium (ISM). Special attention is paid to the adiabatic index, γ, and three distinct values are taken for the cavity (γ1), the shell (γ2), and the ISM (γ3) with the condition γ2 < γ1, γ3. This low value of γ2 accounts for the high density in the shell achieved by a strong radiative cooling. Once the spherical background flow is obtained, the evolution of a 2D-axisymmetric perturbation is computed from the linear to the nonlinear regime. The overstable mechanism, previously demonstrated theoretically by E. T. Vishniac in 1983, is recovered numerically in the linear stage and is expected to produce and enhance anisotropies and clumps on the shock front, leading to the disruption of the shell in the nonlinear phase. The period of the increasing oscillations and the growth rate of the instability are derived from several points of view (the position of the perturbed shock front, mass fluxes along the shell, and density maps), and the most unstable mode differing from the value given by Vishniac is computed. In addition, the influence of several parameters (the Mach number, amplitude and wavelength of the perturbation, and adiabatic index) is examined and for wavelengths that are large enough compared to the shell thickness, the same conclusion arises: in the late stage of the evolution of the radiative supernova remnant, the instability is dampened and the angular initial deformation of the shock front is smoothed while the mass density becomes uniform with the angle. As a result, our model shows that the supernova remnant returns to a stable evolution and the Vishniac instability does not lead to the fragmentation of the shock as predicted by the theory.

Density and Temperature Measurements on Laser Generated Radiative Shocks

This paper presents some recent measurements on radiative shocks generated in a xenon gas cell using high power laser. We show new results on temperature and electronic density, and on radial expansion of the shock at various initial conditions (laser energy and gas pressure). The data obtained are compared with one-dimensional and two-dimensional hydro simulations.

Link between laboratory and astrophysical radiative shocks

This work provides analytical solutions describing the post-shock structure of radiative shocks growing in astrophysics and in laboratory. The equations including a cooling function ? ?? x? are solved for any values of the exponents , ? and ?. This modeling is appropriate to astrophysics as the observed radiative shocks arise in optically thin media. In contrast, in laboratory, radiative shocks performed using high-power lasers present a radiative precursor because the plasma is more or less optically thick. We study the post-shock region in the laboratory case and compare with astrophysical shock structure. In addition, we attempt to use the same equations to describe the radiative precursor, but the cooling function is slightly modified. In future experiments we will probe the PSR using X-ray diagnostics. These new experimental results will allow to validate our astrophysical numerical codes.

Self-similar evolution of astrophysical and laboratory jets: expansion and collimation

In this paper, we deal theoretically with expansion, collimation or collapse of radiating fluids and jets, especially. Firstly, we consider a case in which radiation can be neglected in the modeling. Secondly, radiative losses are introduced. Finally, we compare, on the one hand, hydrodynamics self-similar solutions to laboratory jet experiments and, on the other hand, self-similiar solutions with radiation losses to numerical simulations.

Plasma jet experiments in vacuum and in ambient medium using high energy lasers

We present promising experimental results for laboratory astrophysics. These experiments were performed in France at the LULI2000 facility to study jet propagation in vacuum and in Japan at ILE using Gekko XII HIPER Laser for jet evolution in an ambient medium. A foam filled cone target was used to generate high velocity plasma jet, and a gas jet nozzle was used to produce the ambient medium. Using visible and X-ray diagnostics, we measured the jet parameters such as: density, temperature and velocity. We were able to determine experimentally the jet dimensionless quantities to compare with astrophysical objects.