Sustained interpenetrating plasma flows for the investigation of late time kinetic instability evolution

Abstract

Sustained collisionless interpenetrating plasma flows have been generated on the OMEGA laser facility to enable direct investigation of nonlinear evolution of fields generated by electromagnetic kinetic instabilities. FLASH simulations and Thomson scattering measurements are used to determine the plasma conditions achieved. Interpenetrating flows are observed to remain collisionless for at least 11 ns, longer than any prior OMEGA experiment, supporting the growth and nonlinear saturation of the Weibel instability. Resulting magnetic fields are measured using proton radiography. This work establishes a unique platform for late-time filament evolution measurements.