Abstract

Magnetic fields are ubiquitous in the Universe. The energy density of these fields is typically comparable to the energy density of the fluid motions of the plasma in which they are embedded, making magnetic fields essential players in the dynamics of the luminous matter. The standard theoretical model for the origin of these strong magnetic fields is through the amplification of tiny seed fields via turbulent dynamo to the level consistent with current observations. However, experimental demonstration of the turbulent dynamo mechanism has remained elusive, since it requires plasma conditions that are extremely hard to re-create in terrestrial laboratories. Here we demonstrate, using laser-produced colliding plasma flows, that turbulence is indeed capable of rapidly amplifying seed fields to near equipartition with the turbulent fluid motions. These results support the notion that turbulent dynamo is a viable mechanism responsible for the observed present-day magnetization.

Details

Title
Laboratory evidence of dynamo amplification of magnetic fields in a turbulent plasma
Author
Tzeferacos, P 1 ; Rigby, A 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Bott, A F A 2 ; Bell, A R 2 ; Bingham, R 3 ; Casner, A 4 ; Cattaneo, F 5 ; Churazov, E M 6 ; Emig, J 7 ; Fiuza, F 8 ; Forest, C B 9 ; Foster, J 10 ; Graziani, C 5 ; Katz, J 11 ; Koenig, M 12 ; C-K, Li 13 ; Meinecke, J 2 ; Petrasso, R 13 ; H-S, Park 7 ; Remington, B A 7 ; Ross, J S 7 ; Ryu, D 14   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Ryutov, D 7 ; White, T G 2 ; Reville, B 15   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Miniati, F 16 ; Schekochihin, A A 2 ; Lamb, D Q 5 ; Froula, D H 11 ; Gregori, G 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA 
 Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK 
 Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, UK; Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK 
 CEA, DAM, DIF, Arpajon, France 
 Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA 
 Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Garching, Germany; Space Research Institute (IKI), Moscow, Russia 
 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA 
 SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, USA 
 Physics Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA 
10  AWE, Aldermaston, Reading, UK 
11  Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA 
12  Laboratoire pour l’Utilisation de Lasers Intenses, UMR7605, CNRS CEA, Université Paris VI Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau Cedex, France 
13  Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA 
14  Department of Physics, UNIST, Ulsan, Korea 
15  School of Mathematics and Physics, Queens University Belfast, Belfast, UK 
16  Department of Physics, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland 
Pages
1-8
Publication year
2018
Publication date
Feb 2018
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20411723
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2000011904
Copyright
© 2018. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.