Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Plasma jets are formed in various astrophysical systems as plasma is rapidly ejected from a source, with a subset of these jets being magnetized and having a helical structure. Here, we demonstrate that helical jets may be formed using a ring of laser pulses that arrive on planar foils sequentially with increasing energy. The formation of the jets and their properties, including kinetic helicity, are studied through a set of three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamics simulations with conditions informed by the parameters of the OMEGA laser facility. We find that jets with a higher degree of helicity may be generated under realistic experimental conditions when compared to a uniform jet. Synthetic x-ray and Thomson scattering diagnostics computed from simulated data demonstrate that the helical jet provides a unique fingerprint in both its morphology and plasma parameters. This laboratory helical jet platform may allow for controlled experimental study of the dynamics of helical plasma structures and, through interaction with other jets or targets, can allow for studies of shear-driven turbulence and mixing relevant to interactions between astrophysical jets and ambient clouds or crosswind.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: Orr, Kian, Russell, Brandon K., Lezhnin, Kirill, Zhang, Yang, Pomraning, Geoffrey, Tzeferacos, Petros, Ji, Hantao, Gao, Lan
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7204188570