Observation of collapsing radiative shocks in laboratory experiments

This article reports the observation of the dense, collapsed layer produced by a radiative shock in a laboratory experiment. The experiment uses laser irradiation to accelerate a thin layer of solid-density material to above 100km∕s, the first to probe such high velocities in a radiative shock. The layer in turn drives a shock wave through a cylindrical volume of Xe gas (at ∼6mg∕cm3). Radiation from the shocked Xe removes enough energy that the shocked layer increases in density and collapses spatially. This type of system is relevant to a number of astrophysical contexts, providing the potential to observe phenomena of interest to astrophysics and to test astrophysical computer codes.