Numerical simulations of collisionless shock formation in merging plasma jet experiments

摘要

), large scale transport simulations demonstrate that the jets are essentially collisionless at the merge point. In smaller-scale 1D and 2D simulations we show that collisionless shocks are generated by the merging jets when immersed in applied magnetic fields (B ∼ 0.1–1 T). Unmagnetized collisionless shocks are not found in simulations at the expected jet velocities (10–100 km/s). Considerably higher velocities are required to see this effect. The orientation of the magnetic fields and the axial and transverse gradients of the jets are shown to a have strong effect on the nature of the interaction.