Collisionless shocks mediated by shear-flow magnetic fields in ultraintense-laser-produced counter-streaming plasmas

Abstract The formation of ion-Weibel-mediated collisionless shocks (IW-CSs) in ultraintense-laser-produced counter-streaming plasmas is investigated using particle-in-cell simulations. Analysis of the underlying microphysics reveals that a shear-flow ion-Weibel instability generates magnetic fields, which isotropize the incoming flow and mediate shock formation. An analytical expression for the shear-flow magnetic field is derived, and a scaling law relating the magnetic field amplitude to the laser intensity is established. The shock formation time and the required laser energy are reduced by three and two orders of magnitude, respectively, compared to high-power laser experiments, making it feasible to produce IW-CSs using existing multi-kilojoule, picosecond ultraintense laser facilities.