Magnetic shocks generated by two counterstreaming plasma jets induced by an intense femtosecond laser pulse

Abstract

This work extends the investigation of magnetic control of counterstreaming laser-produced plasma jets reported in Zemskov et al. (2026), focusing on the experiments performed in the presence of a uniform 14 T magnetic field oriented transverse to the jet propagation. When generating plasma flows using 60-80 fs, 10-15 J pulses at the PEARL facility, we observe the formation of narrow, stationary layers with strong magnetic-field amplification and sharp plasma-density gradients in the interaction region. We interpret these features as the result of compressing the externally applied transverse field by the converging plasma ram pressure. The external magnetic field is advected and compressed until its magnetic pressure balances the decreasing ram pressure of the jets. Time-resolved interferometry, shadowgraphy, and Faraday polarimetry, combined with hybrid PIC--fluid simulations, reproduce the formation of a high-field barrier that decelerates and laterally redirects plasma flows while producing multiple density jumps. We discuss the astrophysical implications: the compression of an initially weak ambient field by converging flows provides an efficient, non-turbulent channel for magnetic-field amplification that can render interstellar magnetic fields dynamically important - a condition essential for diffusive shock acceleration in supernova remnants. Our experiments therefore establish a laboratory platform bridging externally magnetized and self-magnetized regimes and offer a complementary route to magnetic-field amplification in high-energy astrophysical shocks.