Experimental Observation of a Current-Driven Instability in a Neutral Electron-Positron Beam

We report on the first experimental observation of a current-driven instability developing in a quasineutral matter-antimatter beam. Strong magnetic fields (≥1  T) are measured, via means of a proton radiography technique, after the propagation of a neutral electron-positron beam through a background electron-ion plasma. The experimentally determined equipartition parameter of ε_{B}≈10^{-3} is typical of values inferred from models of astrophysical gamma-ray bursts, in which the relativistic flows are also expected to be pair dominated. The data, supported by particle-in-cell simulations and simple analytical estimates, indicate that these magnetic fields persist in the background plasma for thousands of inverse plasma frequencies. The existence of such long-lived magnetic fields can be related to analog astrophysical systems, such as those prevalent in lepton-dominated jets.

Thin-shell instability in collisionless plasma

Thin-shell instability is one process which can generate entangled structures in astrophysical plasma on collisional (fluid) scales. It is driven by a spatially varying imbalance between the ram pressure of the inflowing upstream plasma and the downstream's thermal pressure at a nonplanar shock. Here we show by means of a particle-in-cell simulation that an analog process can destabilize a thin shell formed by two interpenetrating, unmagnetized, and collisionless plasma clouds. The amplitude of the shell's spatial modulation grows and saturates after about ten inverse proton plasma frequencies, when the shell consists of connected piecewise linear patches.

Table-top laser-based source of femtosecond, collimated, ultrarelativistic positron beams

The generation of ultrarelativistic positron beams with short duration (τ(e+) ≃ 30  fs), small divergence (θ(e+) ≃ 3  mrad), and high density (n(e+) ≃ 10(14)-10(15)  cm(-3)) from a fully optical setup is reported. The detected positron beam propagates with a high-density electron beam and γ rays of similar spectral shape and peak energy, thus closely resembling the structure of an astrophysical leptonic jet. It is envisaged that this experimental evidence, besides the intrinsic relevance to laser-driven particle acceleration, may open the pathway for the small-scale study of astrophysical leptonic jets in the laboratory.

Time-resolved characterization of the formation of a collisionless shock

We report on the temporally and spatially resolved detection of the precursory stages that lead to the formation of an unmagnetized, supercritical collisionless shock in a laser-driven laboratory experiment. The measured evolution of the electrostatic potential associated with the shock unveils the transition from a current free double layer into a symmetric shock structure, stabilized by ion reflection at the shock front. Supported by a matching particle-in-cell simulation and theoretical considerations, we suggest that this process is analogous to ion reflection at supercritical collisionless shocks in supernova remnants.

Dynamics of self-generated, large amplitude magnetic fields following high-intensity laser matter interaction

The dynamics of magnetic fields with an amplitude of several tens of megagauss, generated at both sides of a solid target irradiated with a high-intensity (~10(19) W/cm(2)) picosecond laser pulse, has been spatially and temporally resolved using a proton imaging technique. The amplitude of the magnetic fields is sufficiently large to have a constraining effect on the radial expansion of the plasma sheath at the target surfaces. These results, supported by numerical simulations and simple analytical modeling, may have implications for ion acceleration driven by the plasma sheath at the rear side of the target as well as for the laboratory study of self-collimated high-energy plasma jets.

Weibel-induced filamentation during an ultrafast laser-driven plasma expansion

The development of current instabilities behind the front of a cylindrically expanding plasma has been investigated experimentally via proton probing techniques. A multitude of tubelike filamentary structures is observed to form behind the front of a plasma created by irradiating solid-density wire targets with a high-intensity (I ~ 10(19) W/cm(2)), picosecond-duration laser pulse. These filaments exhibit a remarkable degree of stability, persisting for several tens of picoseconds, and appear to be magnetized over a filament length corresponding to several filament radii. Particle-in-cell simulations indicate that their formation can be attributed to a Weibel instability driven by a thermal anisotropy of the electron population. We suggest that these results may have implications in astrophysical scenarios, particularly concerning the problem of the generation of strong, spatially extended and sustained magnetic fields in astrophysical jets.

Generation of a purely electrostatic collisionless shock during the expansion of a dense plasma through a rarefied medium

A two-dimensional numerical study of the expansion of a dense plasma through a more rarefied one is reported. The electrostatic ion-acoustic shock, which is generated during the expansion, accelerates the electrons of the rarefied plasma inducing a superthermal population which reduces electron thermal anisotropy. The Weibel instability is therefore not triggered and no self-generated magnetic fields are observed, in contrast with published theoretical results dealing with plasma expansion into vacuum. The shock front develops a filamentary structure which is interpreted as the consequence of the electrostatic ion-ion instability, consistently with published analytical models and experimental results.

Particle simulation of an ultrarelativistic two-stream instability

A two-stream instability in an unmagnetized plasma is examined by a particle-in-cell simulation. Each beam initially consists of cold electrons and protons that stream at a relative Lorentz factor 100. This is representative for plasma close to the external shocks of gamma-ray bursts. An electrostatic wave develops which saturates by trapping electrons. This wave collapses and the resulting electrostatic turbulence gives an electron momentum distribution that resembles a power law with a spectral break. Some electrons reach Lorentz factors over 1000.

Electron acceleration to energies beyond GeV by a relativistic ion beam instability

Synchrotron emission suggests the presence of TeV electrons at various astrophysical objects. We propose a mechanism for the acceleration of electrons to ultrahigh energies (UHE) by intense electrostatic waves (ESWs). The latter are driven by dense proton beams that move at relativistic speeds relative to a background plasma and the electrons are accelerated by their nonlinear interaction with the ESWs. We follow the evolution of the wave instability by means of particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. After the instability has saturated, we obtain spatially confined electron voids in which secondary instabilities develop due to resonant interactions between the beams and the background protons, generating intense ESWs which accelerate electrons to ultrarelativistic speeds within times of a few hundred inverse plasma frequencies.

Connecting shock velocities to electron-injection mechanisms

Electrons can be accelerated by their interaction with nonlinearly saturated electrostatic waves up to speeds with which they can undergo diffusive acceleration across supernova remnant shocks. Here, we model this wave-electron interaction by particle-in-cell and Vlasov simulations. We find that the lifetime of the saturated wave is considerably longer in the Vlasov simulation, due to differences in how these simulation methods approximate the plasma. Electron surfing acceleration which requires a stable saturated wave may thus be more important for electron acceleration at shocks than previously thought. For beam speeds above a critical value, which we estimate here, both simulation codes exclude surfing acceleration due to a rapid wave collapse.

Surfatron and stochastic acceleration of electrons at supernova remnant shocks

The surfatron offers the possibility of particle acceleration to arbitrarily high energies, given a sufficiently large system. Surfatron acceleration of electrons by waves excited by ions reflected from supernova remnant (SNR) shocks is investigated using particle simulations. It is shown that surfatron and stochastic acceleration could provide a seed population for the acceleration of cosmic ray electrons at SNR shocks.