Hybrid simulations of a parallel collisionless shock in the large plasma device

Abstract

We present two-dimensional hybrid kinetic/magnetohydrodynamic simulations of planned laser-ablation experiments in the Large Plasma Device. Our results, based on parameters that have been validated in previous experiments, show that a parallel collisionless shock can begin forming within the available space. Carbon-debris ions that stream along the magnetic-field direction with a blow-off speed of four times the Alfvén velocity excite strong magnetic fluctuations, eventually transferring part of their kinetic energy to the surrounding hydrogen ions. This acceleration and compression of the background plasma creates a shock front, which satisfies the Rankine–Hugoniot conditions and can therefore propagate on its own. Furthermore, we analyze the upstream turbulence and show that it is dominated by the right-hand resonant instability.