Magnetic field amplification to gigagauss scale via hydrodynamic flows and dynamos driven by femtosecond lasers. (17th June 2021) - Jiang, K
Abstract: Reaching gigagauss magnetic fields opens new horizons both in atomic and plasma physics. At these magnetic field strengths, the electron cyclotron energy ℏω c becomes comparable to the atomic binding energy (the Rydberg), and the cyclotron frequency ω c approaches the plasma frequency at solid state densities that significantly modifies optical properties of the target. The generation of such strong quasistatic magnetic fields in laboratory remains a challenge. Using supercomputer simulations, we demonstrate how it can be achieved all-optically by irradiating a micro-channel target by a circularly polarized relativistic femtosecond laser. The laser pulse drives a strong electron vortex along the channel wall, inducing a megagauss longitudinal magnetic field in the channel by the Inverse Faraday Effect. This seed field is then amplified up to a gigagauss level and maintained on a sub-picosecond time scale by the synergistic effect of hydrodynamic flows and dynamos. Our scheme sets a possible platform for producing long living extreme magnetic fields in laboratories using readily available lasers. The concept might also be relevant for applications such as magneto-inertial fusion.