Detailed benchmarking of the Nernst effect in magnetized HED plasma

ORAL

Abstract

The Nernst effect plays a key role in magnetic flux transport in magnetized high energy density (HED) plasmas with high β and large temperature gradients. It is present in inertial confinement fusion plasmas and during the preheat phase of magnetized liner inertial fusion. State-of-the-art extended magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) and kinetic codes include the Nernst effect but differ in physics and implementation, resulting in many discrepancies. Detailed experimental benchmarking of these models is crucial for understanding and controlling magnetized plasma systems.



We report on a new experimental platform at the OMEGA laser facility to benchmark the Nernst effect in HED plasma by directly measuring Nernst velocity and plasma conditions. A laser beam heats an H2 gas jet to generate a plasma plume, which propagates parallel to an external magnetic field. Proton radiography, using 15 MeV and 3 MeV monoenergetic protons from a D3He implosion, measures magnetic field cavitation and advection velocity. Plasma parameters (ne, Te) and radial bulk flow speed are measured by 2ω optical both space and time-resolved Thomson scattering. The experimental results are compared with 1D MHD GORGON simulations.

*The research was conducted under the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, a national laboratory operated by Princeton University for the U.S. Department of Energy under Prime Contract No. DE-AC02-09CH11466. SNL is managed and operated by NTESS under DOE NNSA contract DE-NA0003525

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Publication: S.Malko et al, "Detailed benchmarking of Nernst effect in magnetized high energy density plasmas", paper in preparation to Nature Communications (2024)

Presenters

  • Sophia Malko

    • Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
    • Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL)

Authors

  • Sophia Malko

    • Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
    • Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL)

  • Chris A Walsh

    • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

  • Jesse Griff-McMahon

    • Princeton University

  • Colin Bruulsema

    • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

  • Vicente Valenzuela-Villaseca

    • Princeton University

  • Derek B Schaeffer

    • University of California, Los Angeles
    • UCLA

  • Gennady Fiksel

    • University of Michigan

  • Aaron Hansen

    • Sandia National Laboratories

  • Adam J Harvey-Thompson

    • Sandia National Laboratories

  • Daniel E Ruiz

    • Sandia National Laboratories

  • Matthew R Weis

    • Sandia National Laboratories

  • Cameron Alexander Frank

    • University of Delaware

  • Arijit Bose

    • University of Delaware

  • William Randolph Fox

    • Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
    • Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL)