Radiation-pressure-driven ion Weibel instability and collisionless shocks.

Area of Science:

• Plasma physics
• Astrophysical shock formation

Background:

• The Weibel instability is crucial for collisionless shock formation in astrophysics.
• Investigating laboratory analogs aids understanding of fundamental plasma processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify optimal laboratory configurations for studying the ion Weibel instability (IWI).
• To explore conditions for IWI evolution into collisionless shocks.

Main Methods:

• Two- and three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations.
• Modeling plasma flow driven by laser radiation pressure (hole-boring).

Main Results:

• S-polarized light at oblique incidence is an optimal configuration for driving IWI.
• This configuration avoids surface rippling and competing instabilities seen at normal incidence.

Conclusions:

• Laboratory experiments using S-polarized, oblique laser incidence can effectively study IWI.
• These findings advance the investigation of collisionless shock formation in controlled environments.