Magnetic flux pile-up and ion heating in a current sheet formed by colliding magnetized plasma flows

We present data from experiments carried out at the Magpie pulsed power facility, which show the detailed structure of the interaction of counter-streaming magnetized plasma flows. In our quasi-2D setup[1,2], continuous supersonic flows are produced with strong embedded magnetic fields of opposing directions. Their interaction leads to the formation of a dense and long-lasting current sheet, where we observe the pile-up of the magnetic flux at the sheet boundary, as well as the annihilation of field inside, accompanied by an increase in plasma temperature. Spatially resolved measurements with Faraday rotation polarimetry, B-dot probes, XUV imaging, Thomson scattering and laser interferometry diagnostics show the detailed distribution of the magnetic field and other plasma parameters throughout the system. [1] Suttle et. al, PRL (2016), [2] Hare et. al, PRL (2017)