Speaker
Description
Astrophysical jets are observed from young stellar objects to accreting compact objects, yet their formation and collimation remain poorly understood. In particular, the role of radiative cooling in driving flow convergence and promoting jet formation remains uncertain. Laboratory plasma experiments provide a complementary approach by enabling controlled studies of supersonic, radiatively cooled flows under reproducible conditions.
Within a collaborative effort at Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography and Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, we use the two-dimensional radiation-hydrodynamics code RALEF-2D to model laser-driven plasma outflows as scaled analogues of radiatively cooled astrophysical flows. We design and systematically vary target geometries, laser parameters, and material properties. This allows us to explore how geometric shaping and radiative losses influence flow collimation and the development of jet-like structures. This study clarifies how cooling-driven effects alone can promote collimated outflows. It also provides a physically motivated framework for interpreting both experimentally realisable laboratory configurations and astrophysical outflows influenced by radiative losses.
| Talk category | NOVA Network 3 |
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