X-ray imaging and electron temperature evolution in laser-driven magnetic reconnection experiments at the National Ignition Facility

• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2404.07799
• Publication Date: 2024-04-11
• Authors: V. Valenzuela-Vil...; Jacob M. Molina; D. B. Schaeffer; S. Malko; J. Griff-McMahon; K. V. Lezhnin; Milton J. Rosenberg; S. X. Hu; D. Kalantar; C. Trosseille; H. -S. Park; B. A. Remington; G. Fiksel; Dmitri Uzdensky; A. Bhattacharjee; W. Fox
• Keywords: Pinhole camera; National Ignition Facility; Electron temperature; Current sheet

We present results from X-ray imaging of high-aspect-ratio magnetic reconnection experiments driven at the National Ignition Facility. Two parallel, self-magnetized, elongated laser-driven plumes are produced by tiling 40 laser beams. A layer is formed collision plumes. gated framing pinhole camera with micro-channel plate (MCP) detector produces multiple images through various filters formation and evolution both current sheet. As diagnostic integrates plasma self-emission along line sight, 2-dimensional electron temperature maps $\langle T_e \rangle_Y$ constructed taking ratio intensity these obtained different filters. The have a characteristic \rangle_Y = 240 \pm 20$ eV 2 ns after initial irradiation exhibit slow cooling up to 4 ns. forms 3 280 50$ as result error bars sheet temperatures separate $4$ ns, showing heating colder inflows. Using semi-analytical model, we find that observed consistent being electron-ion drag, rather than conversion kinetic energy.