Generation of photoionized plasmas in the laboratory: Analogues to astrophysical sources
Abstract
Implementation of a novel experimental approach using a bright source of narrowband x-ray emission has enabled the production of a photoionized argon plasma of relevance to astrophysical modelling codes such as Cloudy. We present results showing that the photoionization parameter ζ = 4πF/ne generated using the VULCAN laser was ≈ 50 erg cm s-1, higher than those obtained previously with more powerful facilities. Comparison of our argon emission-line spectra in the 4.15 - 4.25 Å range at varying initial gas pressures with predictions from the Cloudy code and a simple time-dependent code are also presented. Finally we briefly discuss how this proof-of-principle experiment may be scaled to larger facilities such as ORION to produce the closest laboratory analogue to a photoionized plasma.
- Publication:
-
Laboratory Astrophysics: From Observations to Interpretation
- Pub Date:
- 2020
- DOI:
- 10.1017/S174392131900961X
- Bibcode:
- 2020IAUS..350..321W
- Keywords:
-
- Plasma;
- Photoionization;
- Lab Astro