Specific features of shock wave formation in superstrong magnetic field

Abstract

Modern numerical simulation methods have been used to describe the electric explosion of a conductor at an extremely high linear current density. This process is of interest in view of the creation of setups in which the linear current density in current-carrying elements can reach a level of 108–109 A/m. The explosion of a surface layer under these conditions represents a combination of the nonlinear diffusion of a field into the medium with sharply varying properties and a hydrodynamic flow behind the front of a shock wave initiated by the magnetic pressure of a superstrong magnetic field. Special attention is devoted to a description of the process of shock-wave formation in a linearly increasing magnetic field, which is based on an analysis of the results of computer simulations and analytical estimations.