Modeling magnetic confinement of laser-generated plasma in cylindrical geometry leading to disk-shaped structures

Radiation-magnetohydrodynamic simulations were able to reproduce features of the plasma structures observed in recent experiments [Ivanov et al., Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 59, 085008 (2017)], where a laser was used to ablate plasma in a 3 MG magnetic field. The laser ablates the plasma, and localized structures are formed due to the inhibition of heat flow by the magnetic field. The large magnetic pressures cause the plasma to pinch. In an azimuthal field, a disk-shaped plasma is generated. According to simulations, the disk has electron densities that are underdense to the laser, ranging from 1018 to 1019 cm−3, and electron temperatures in the range of 300 to 1000 eV during its evolution, similar to experimental data.