Radiative shocks at PALS: latest results and future prospects
Résumé
affiche P53 Being able to produce and diagnose radiative shocks under controlled laboratory conditions is a key aspect to understand their role in astrophysical processes such as accretion in stellar formation. The ongoing study of radiative shocks using high-power lasers has significantly advanced our understanding on the physics of these complex flows. In particular, experiments at the Prague Asterix Laser System (PALS) have demonstrated the formation of radiative shocks in Xenon with a characteristic velocity of 50-60 km/s. Latest results on the generation on radiative shocks at PALS demonstrate the feasibility of fielding novel probing techniques such as time-resolved imaging using an X-ray laser at 21.2 nm, allowing to probe simultaneously the high-density shock-front together with the lower-density radiative precursor in front of the shock. These results will be compared with 2-D radiative-hydrodynamic simulations using the code ARWEN. Future experimental campaigns will focus on spectroscopic measurements of the different shock regions together with new experimental configurations such as the interaction of counter-streaming radiative shocks. These prospects will be presented and discussed from both experimental and simulation point of view. This work is supported by french ANR STARSHOCK (grant 08-BLAN-0263-07), Programme National de Physique Stellaire" (PNPS) of CNRS/INSU, France, Observatoire de Paris and labex Plas@Par ( ANR-11-IDEX-0004-02 )