Theoretical astrophysics and plasma physics at RPC

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Nuclear Spirals in the inner Milky Way

(2017)

Authors:

Matthew Ridley, Mattia C Sormani, Robin G Tre脽, John Magorrian, Ralf S Klessen

On the effect of neoclassical flows on intrinsic momentum in ASDEX Upgrade Ohmic L-mode plasmas

Nuclear Fusion IOP Publishing 57:4 (2017) 046008

Authors:

WA Hornsby, C Angioni, E Fable, P Manas, R McDermott, AG Peeters, M Barnes, F Parra

Self-consistent Modelling of the Milky Way using Gaia data

Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union Cambridge University Press (CUP) 12:S330 (2017) 152-155

Authors:

David R Cole, James Binney

Testing the binary hypothesis: pulsar timing constraints on supermassive black hole binary candidates

(2017)

Authors:

A Sesana, Z Haiman, B Kocsis, LZ Kelley

Numerical modeling of laser-driven experiments aiming to demonstrate magnetic field amplification via turbulent dynamo

Physics of Plasmas AIP Publishing 24:4 (2017) 041404

Authors:

P Tzeferacos, A Rigby, A Bott, Anthony Bell, R Bingham, A Casner, F Cattaneo, EM Churazov, J Emig, N Flocke, F Fiuza, CB Forest, J Foster, C Graziani, J Katz, M Koenig, C-K Li, J Meinecke, R Petrasso, H-S Park, BA Remington, JS Ross, D Ryu, D Ryutov, K Weide, TG White, B Reville, F Miniati, AA Schekochihin, DH Froula, G Gregori, DQ Lamb

Abstract:

The universe is permeated by magnetic fields, with strengths ranging from a femtogauss in the voids between the filaments of galaxy clusters to several teragauss in black holes and neutron stars. The standard model behind cosmological magnetic fields is the nonlinear amplification of seed fields via turbulent dynamo to the values observed. We have conceived experiments that aim to demonstrate and study the turbulent dynamo mechanism in the laboratory. Here, we describe the design of these experiments through simulation campaigns using FLASH, a highly capable radiation magnetohydrodynamics code that we have developed, and large-scale three-dimensional simulations on the Mira supercomputer at the Argonne National Laboratory. The simulation results indicate that the experimental platform may be capable of reaching a turbulent plasma state and determining the dynamo amplification. We validate and compare our numerical results with a small subset of experimental data using synthetic diagnostics.