Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 11, 2026
08:43
Pneumatically Driven Microfluidic Platform for Micro-Particle Concentration
Published on: February 1, 2022
2.9K
Relativistic magnetic reconnection driven by a laser interacting with a micro-scale plasma slab
Longqing Yi1,2, Baifei Shen3, Alexander Pukhov4
1Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296, Gothenburg, Sweden. longqing@chalmers.se.
Nature Communications
|April 25, 2018
Summary
Ultrafast relativistic magnetic reconnection (MR) was triggered in laboratory plasma using lasers. This process efficiently converts magnetic energy into kinetic energy, producing relativistic electron jets.
Area of Science:
- Plasma Physics
- Astrophysics
- Laser-Plasma Interactions
Background:
- Magnetic reconnection (MR) is a key plasma process converting magnetic energy to kinetic energy, explaining astrophysical phenomena.
- Understanding MR is crucial for astrophysical events and particle acceleration mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate ultrafast relativistic MR in a laboratory setting.
- To investigate MR in a magnetically dominated regime using laser-plasma interactions.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing three-dimensional (3D) particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations.
- Simulating a TW-mJ-class laser interacting with a micro-scale plasma slab.
Main Results:
- Ultrafast relativistic MR was triggered when electron beams met at the plasma slab's end.
- Efficient energy dissipation occurred, leading to relativistic electron jets with ~12 MeV cut-off energy.
Conclusions:
- The study provides a novel laboratory scenario for studying relativistic MR.
- This research may offer insights into reconnection rates and particle acceleration in relativistic MR events.
Related Concept Videos
02:41pH Scale
80.3K
Hydronium and hydroxide ions are present both in pure water and in all aqueous solutions, and their concentrations are inversely proportional as determined by the ion product of water (Kw). The concentrations of these ions in a solution are often critical determinants of the solution’s properties and the chemical behaviors of its other solutes. Two different solutions can differ in their hydronium or hydroxide ion concentrations by a million, billion, or even trillion times. A common means of...
80.3K
01:26Scaling
599
In designing and analyzing filters, resonant circuits, or circuit analysis at large, working with standard element values like 1 ohm, 1 henry, or 1 farad can be convenient before scaling these values to more realistic figures. This approach is widely utilized by not employing realistic element values in numerous examples and problems; it simplifies mastering circuit analysis through convenient component values. The complexity of calculations is thereby reduced, with the understanding that...
599
03:02Colors and Magnetism
14.2K
Color in Coordination Complexes
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human...
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human...
14.2K
01:27ATP Driven Pumps I: An Overview
9.9K
ATP-driven pumps, also known as transport ATPases, are integral membrane proteins. They have binding sites for ATP located on the membrane's cytosolic side and the ion-conducting domain in the transmembrane region. These pumps use the free energy released from ATP hydrolysis to move the solutes across cell membranes against an electrochemical gradient.
There are four main types of ATP-driven pumps - P-type, V-type, F-type, and ABC transporter. All these pumps are of varying complexities and...
There are four main types of ATP-driven pumps - P-type, V-type, F-type, and ABC transporter. All these pumps are of varying complexities and...
9.9K
01:24Composition of Blood Plasma
8.8K
Blood plasma is a fluid that contains approximately 92% water and 8% solutes. The solutes include various types of proteins, which constitute about 7% of the total solutes in the plasma. The high-molecular-weight proteins—albumins, globulins, and fibrinogen—are essential to plasma function. Albumins, making up about 60% of the plasma proteins, maintain the osmotic balance within blood vessels by preventing excessive water leakage. Additionally, albumins serve as carrier proteins,...
8.8K
02:03Xylem and Transpiration-driven Transport of Resources
26.9K
The xylem of vascular plants distributes water and dissolved minerals that are taken up by the roots to the rest of the plant. The cells that transport xylem sap are dead upon maturity, and the movement of xylem sap is a passive process.
26.9K