Measurement of ion acceleration and diffusion in a laser-driven magnetized plasma
J. T. Y. Chu, J. W. D. Halliday, C. Heaton, K. Moczulski, A. Blazevic, D. Schumacher, M. Metternich, H. Nazary, C. D. Arrowsmith, A. R. Bell, K. A. Beyer, A. F. A. Bott, T. Campbell, E. Hansen, D. Q. Lamb, F. Miniati, P. Neumayer, C. A. J. Palmer, B. Reville, A. Reyes, S. Sarkar, A. Scopatz, C. Spindloe, C. B. Stuart, H. Wen, P. Tzeferacos, R. Bingham, G. Gregori
Published: 2025/9/9
Abstract
Here we present results from an experiment performed at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research. A mono-energetic beam of chromium ions with initial energies of $\sim 450$ MeV was fired through a magnetized interaction region formed by the collision of two counter-propagating laser-ablated plasma jets. While laser interferometry revealed the absence of strong fluid-scale turbulence, acceleration and diffusion of the beam ions was driven by wave-particle interactions. A possible mechanism is particle acceleration by electrostatic, short scale length kinetic turbulence, such as the lower-hybrid drift instability.