Plasma plume dynamics in magnetically assisted pulsed laser deposition

Abstract

The expansion of a laser produced plasma perpendicular to a magnetic field is studied with a quadruple Langmuir probe and a B-dot probe. In regions where the kinetic beta is less than one, we find plume deceleration and weak displacement of the magnetic field. As the plume expands into regions of weak magnetic field, plume deceleration stops and the displacement of the magnetic field is large. The diffusion time of the magnetic field lines was consistent with anomalously large resistivity driven by the presence of an instability. Electron temperatures are larger than in the field-free case due to Ohmic heating mediated by the anomalously large resistivity.