Pulsed-Power Magnetized Jets for the Study of Star Formation

Abstract

We present the first results of a laboratory-astrophysics experiment with the goal of translating research performed at a major (several kJ) laser facility1 into the pulsed-power laboratory at the Michigan Accelerator for Inductive Z-Pinch Experiments (MAIZE). We aim to explore the interactions of magnetized plasma flows in astrophysical accretion shock events found in the star formation process of highly magnetic T Tauri stars. In these first preliminary results, we a focus on the structure and development of shock instabilities. To accomplish this, we generated magnetized plasma flows via pulsed-power in the Linear Transformer Drive (LTD) at the University of Michigan, by ablating aluminum wire arrays with currents in the order of 1 Mega-Amp. We use a conical array that drives a plasma jet2 and a 5 Tesla, Helmholtz coil providing a uniform axial magnetic field. Our first images come from self-emission and shadowgraphy captured by a fast-frame camera, showing the structure and evolution of the plasma jet.