Laboratory studies of plasma streaming instabilities as astrophysical analogues

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The project will contribute to developing an understanding of astrophysical events through studying analogue systems based on laser-plasma interactions. Experimental methods will be used to investigate the development of streaming instabilities in laser-plasma interactions, which are precursors of shocks, and their roles in radiation production in plasma that are analogues of similar processes occurring in space and astrophysical environments. These will be compared with theoretical models developed at Strathclyde as part of the ALPHA-X project. The project will contribute to understanding the origins of gamma ray bursts (GRBs) from jets and catastrophic astrophysics events, neutron star mergers and high energy cosmic rays, which are thought to involve plasma instabilities (e.g. filamentation and two stream). Furthermore, at high intensities, pair production and collective radiation reaction becomes important. The project will involve a study of plasma instabilities and radiation processes in laser-driven plasma in plasma where high energy plasma streams propagate. The student will work closely with both theory and experimental teams. Experiments will utilise the 350 TW and 40 TW SCAPA lasers at Strathclyde, and the RAL-CLF and ELI lasers when high power or energies are required. Plasma media and diagnostic systems will be developed for the experiments.The project will contribute to answering STFC Particle Astrophysics questions through (analogue) laboratory and numerical (simulation) investigations.