Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Article number | 255001 |
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<mark>Journal publication date</mark> | 18/12/2009 |
<mark>Journal</mark> | Physical review letters |
Issue number | 25 |
Volume | 103 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Publication Status | Published |
<mark>Original language</mark> | English |
Ultrahigh-velocity shock waves (similar to 10 000 km/s or 0.03c) are generated by focusing a 350-TW laser pulse into low-density helium gas. The collisionless ultrahigh-Mach-number electrostatic shock propagates from the plasma into the surrounding gas, ionizing gas as it becomes collisional. The shock undergoes a corrugation instability due to propagation of the ionizing shock within the gas (the Dyakov-Kontorovich instability). This system may be relevant to the study of very high-Mach-number ionizing shocks in astrophysical situations.