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An international research team, involving scientists from Osaka University (Japan), the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Russia) and the University of Bordeaux (France), has obtained plasma identical to a substance thought to be found near black holes.
The study results were published in the Physical Review E journal.
The analysis of space objects’ X-ray radiation is one of the most important methods of astrophysics. According to MEPhI researchers, black hole accretion disks, which consist of matter which falls into the hole and is heated to a plasma state, are one of the cosmic sources of strong X-ray radiation.
An international research team involving MEPhI scientists has managed to artificially obtain a small volume of plasma with characteristics identical to that thought found in a black hole accretion disk.
According to scientists, a strong magnetic field, whose induction reaches several thousand Tesla, is the key factor in the formation of X-radiation sources of this type. The experiment was aimed at testing the method for creating such magnetic fields in plasma, developed jointly by scientists at Institute for Laser and Plasma Technologies MEPhI and the CELIA laboratory at Bordeaux University.
According to the researchers, the method is based on the reflection effect of a powerful laser beam along the target’s spiral-shaped inner surface. A rolled-up piece of thin foil several hundred microns in diameter was used as a target. A laser pulse with an energy of about 330 Joules and a duration of one picosecond was almost completely absorbed in the target’s hollow, creating a relativistic plasma and a magnetic field with an induction of more than 2,000 Tesla.
The resulting volume of hot, highly magnetised plasma was large enough to have the essential characteristics of a complete astrophysical system, the scientists said. According to the researchers, the geometry of the experiment contributed to that: inside the plasma volume, the magnetic fields were directed towards each other so that magnetic field annihilation took place in the area of contact of the opposing magnetic lines, creating particle streams with speeds close to the speed of light.
As MEPhI scientists explained, the new method to create super-strong magnetic fields will allow for the improvement of equipment to create directed particle beams, making them more accurate and powerful. Such devices are widely used in experimental science, medicine, and security systems.
The international research team involved scientists from Japan (Osaka University), France (University of Bordeaux), Germany and Russia. The experiment was carried out using the LFEX laser facility at the Institute of Laser Engineering at Osaka University (Japan).
Sourse: sputniknews.com
