Fast magnetic-field annihilation in the relativistic collisionless regime driven by two ultrashort high-intensity laser pulses
Abstract
The magnetic quadrupole structure formation during the interaction of two ultrashort high power laser pulses with a collisionless plasma is demonstrated with 2.5-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. The subsequent expansion of the quadrupole is accompanied by magnetic-field annihilation in the ultrarelativistic regime, when the magnetic field cannot be sustained by the plasma current. This results in a dominant contribution of the displacement current exciting a strong large scale electric field. This field leads to the conversion of magnetic energy into kinetic energy of accelerated electrons inside the thin current sheet.
- Publication:
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Physical Review E
- Pub Date:
- January 2016
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevE.93.013203
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1506.00891
- Bibcode:
- 2016PhRvE..93a3203G
- Keywords:
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- Physics - Plasma Physics
- E-Print:
- 5 pages, 5 figures