Astrophysics of Magnetically Collimated Jets Generated from Laser-Produced Plasmas

The generation of astrophysically relevant jets, from magnetically collimated, laser-produced plasmas, is investigated through three-dimensional, magneto-hydrodynamic simulations. We show that for laser intensities I ~ 10^12 - 10^14 W/cm^2, a magnetic field in excess of ~ 0.1 MG, can collimate the plasma plume into a prolate cavity bounded by a shock envelope with a standing conical shock at its tip, which re-collimates the flow into a super magneto-sonic jet beam. This mechanism is equivalent to astrophysical models of hydrodynamic inertial collimation, where an isotropic wind is focused into a jet by a confining circumstellar torus-like envelope. The results suggest an alternative mechanism for a large-scale magnetic field to produce jets from wide-angle winds. (abridged version)
Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters. 5 pages, 4 figures