Observation of sub-relativistic collisionless shock generation and breakout dynamics
Abstract Relativistic collisionless shocks, which are ubiquitous in the cosmos, play a significant role in various astrophysical phenomena such as gamma-ray bursts, PeVatrons, and supernova shock breakouts. Here we present a demonstration using a compact femtosecond laser system to generate sub-rela...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58867-3 |
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| author | Yafeng Bai Dongdong Zhang Yushan Zeng Jiakang Mao Liwei Song Ye Tian Ruxin Li |
| author_facet | Yafeng Bai Dongdong Zhang Yushan Zeng Jiakang Mao Liwei Song Ye Tian Ruxin Li |
| author_sort | Yafeng Bai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Relativistic collisionless shocks, which are ubiquitous in the cosmos, play a significant role in various astrophysical phenomena such as gamma-ray bursts, PeVatrons, and supernova shock breakouts. Here we present a demonstration using a compact femtosecond laser system to generate sub-relativistic collisionless shocks (0.03c) under astrophysically relevant conditions. We attribute the shock formation to a rapidly growing Weibel instability in a precisely tuning low-density preplasma environment, which resembles the interstellar media near an astrophysical central engine. Owing to this Weibel instability, a 5000 Tesla magnetic field is developed within 2.7 ps, leading to the collisionless shock formation and subsequent breakout at the preplasma boundaries. This platform enables direct investigation of astrophysics related to relativistic collisionless shocks. The achieved parameters bridge the gap between astrophysical observations and controlled laboratory experiments, offering unprecedented opportunities to validate cosmic shock models. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c2a29af08a034ed9a5bc0c9710135105 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-c2a29af08a034ed9a5bc0c97101351052025-08-20T03:52:24ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-04-011611810.1038/s41467-025-58867-3Observation of sub-relativistic collisionless shock generation and breakout dynamicsYafeng Bai0Dongdong Zhang1Yushan Zeng2Jiakang Mao3Liwei Song4Ye Tian5Ruxin Li6State Key Laboratory of Ultra-intense Laser Science and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Ultra-intense Laser Science and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Ultra-intense Laser Science and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Ultra-intense Laser Science and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Ultra-intense Laser Science and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Ultra-intense Laser Science and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Ultra-intense Laser Science and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of SciencesAbstract Relativistic collisionless shocks, which are ubiquitous in the cosmos, play a significant role in various astrophysical phenomena such as gamma-ray bursts, PeVatrons, and supernova shock breakouts. Here we present a demonstration using a compact femtosecond laser system to generate sub-relativistic collisionless shocks (0.03c) under astrophysically relevant conditions. We attribute the shock formation to a rapidly growing Weibel instability in a precisely tuning low-density preplasma environment, which resembles the interstellar media near an astrophysical central engine. Owing to this Weibel instability, a 5000 Tesla magnetic field is developed within 2.7 ps, leading to the collisionless shock formation and subsequent breakout at the preplasma boundaries. This platform enables direct investigation of astrophysics related to relativistic collisionless shocks. The achieved parameters bridge the gap between astrophysical observations and controlled laboratory experiments, offering unprecedented opportunities to validate cosmic shock models.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58867-3 |
| spellingShingle | Yafeng Bai Dongdong Zhang Yushan Zeng Jiakang Mao Liwei Song Ye Tian Ruxin Li Observation of sub-relativistic collisionless shock generation and breakout dynamics Nature Communications |
| title | Observation of sub-relativistic collisionless shock generation and breakout dynamics |
| title_full | Observation of sub-relativistic collisionless shock generation and breakout dynamics |
| title_fullStr | Observation of sub-relativistic collisionless shock generation and breakout dynamics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Observation of sub-relativistic collisionless shock generation and breakout dynamics |
| title_short | Observation of sub-relativistic collisionless shock generation and breakout dynamics |
| title_sort | observation of sub relativistic collisionless shock generation and breakout dynamics |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58867-3 |
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