Two-dimension plasma expansions with anisotropic pressure

Abstract

A two-dimension self-similar solution is proposed for a plasma expansion with anisotropic pressure. With the solution, it depends on the relationship between the ratio of the longitudinal and the transverse temperature of the plasma, ${\kappa }^2$ and the electron-ion mass ratio, $\mu$, that the plasma front is composed by a part of hyperbolic (or a plane) and a small pointed projection at the center or a part of an ellipse. Zhang and coworkers's experiments (PRL, 99, 167602 (2007))support our results for ${\kappa }^2\in (\tau ,1]$. For ${\kappa }^2\le \tau$, there is an anomalous high-energy plasma emission at the angle of near $90^{\text{o}}$ due to longitudinal Coulomb explosion.

10 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letters