Abstract
In this paper, we present a model characterizing the interaction of a radiative shock (RS) with a solid material, as described in a recent paper (Koenig et al., Phys. Plasmas, 24, 082707 (2017)), the new model is then related to recent experiments performed on the GEKKO XII laser facility. The RS generated in a xenon gas cell propagates towards a solid obstacle that is ablated by radiation coming from the shock front and the radiative precursor, mimicking processes occurring in astrophysical phenomena. The model presented here calculates the dynamics of the obstacle expansion, which depends on several parameters, notably the geometry and the temperature of the shock. All parameters required for the model have been obtained from experiments. Good agreement between experimental data and the model is found when spherical geometry is taken into account. As a consequence, this model is a useful and easy tool to infer parameters from experimental data (such as the shock temperature), and also to design future experiments.
Highlights
Radiative shocks (RSs) are ubiquitous in astrophysics
In the context of RS experiments, we have developed an analytical model explaining an obstacle expansion situated at a given initial distance from a propagating RS
We have shown that this model, without any free parameters, predicts an expansion very close to the experimental data, showing the obstacle expansion process is well described
Summary
Radiative shocks (RSs) are ubiquitous in astrophysics. They can be found in many phenomena, such as cataclysmic variables[1], supernovae or young stellar objects[2]. When a shock propagates above a threshold velocity, its radiation becomes so intense that it modifies its structure and the upstream electron density of the medium. The high radiative flux emitted by the shock can mimic radiation from O-stars near molecular clouds. We introduce an obstacle a few mm away from the RS front, in order to experimentally study its ablation by a high radiative flux
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