Abstract

High power laser beam of 4 PW is focused onto a near-critical density (NCD) plasma (10²¹/cm³) reaching its intensity of ~10²²W/cm² and the light-matter interaction as well as its physical mechanism is studied. Transverse ion acceleration is observed while electrons are only detected in the forward direction. Moreover, the Mega Gauss magnetic field generated by the energetic electron current in the plasma is detected using optical polarimetry. This experiment is performed as a starting point to build a new experimental platform of laboratory astrophysics at CoReLS, IBS. In future, astrophysical phenomena will be encountered as diverse scientific challenges down in the laboratory, utilizing the novel laser system and the unique NCD plasma.

© 2018 The Author(s)