LAB ASTRO JETS · Re-creating the physics of astrophysical jets in laboratory experiments
FP7 — People (Marie Curie Actions)
- Duration
- 2009-10-01 → 2012-09-30
- EU contribution
- €45,000
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MC-ERG
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Re-creating the physics of astrophysical jets in laboratory experiments
This project aimed at studying the physics behind the formation of jets and outflows observed emerging from “protostars” (young stars in their formation phase), with a very unique approach: by reproducing their physics through scaled, laboratory experiments. This new research field is called Laboratory Plasma Astrophysics and it is based on the use of “plasma”, a hot, ionised gas which makes up 99% of our visible Universe. The new generation of space and ground-based observing facilities such as ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter Array in Chile, are beginning to deliver “first light” of these jets with unprecedented resolution. In addition the use of state of the art numerical codes is essential to benchmark experimental data in order to provide further insights into complex physical processes that are sometimes difficult to measure or interpret experimentally. In the same way, experiments provide the precise initial conditions to the codes for predicting the dynamical behaviour of the plasma. Laboratory Plasma Astrophysics aims at creating a strong synergy between observations, numerical simulations and experiments. The work performed in the past 3 years has advanced our understanding of several aspects of astrophysical jets, focused particularly in the formation and dynamics of jets from young stars. These jets are characterised by being highly supersonic (Mach number>20), highly collimated, and showing the formation of spectacular radiative-shocks as the supersonic flow interacts with the interstellar medium.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
The observation of highly collimated jets is a ubiquitous phenomenon present in different types of astrophysical objects throughout the universe. These outflows have been observed in very different spatial scales, from large-scale jets emerging from black holes at the centre of galaxies, to smaller-scale jets observed in young stars. In recent years the study of these outflows has attracted the interest of the scientific community due to the possibility of performing laboratory experiments that can reach the extreme physical conditions relevant to these astrophysical processes. It has been demonstrated that despite the spatial and temporal scales being different by 15-20 orders of magnitude, it is possible to perform experiments that can reproduce the physics of these jets in a scaled way. The aim of this project is to perform experiments that are relevant to the dynamics of astrophysical jets, particularly focused in the study of (a) the launching mechanism and the subsequent collimation of a jet by the means of magnetic fields, (b) the formation of episodic outflows and the effect on the variability of the jet, (c) the propagation and interaction of the jet with the ambient medium. The experiments will be performed on the MAGPIE generator at Imperial College London. The use of present and new diagnostic techniques will allow measuring the physical conditions of the plasma during the experiments, allowing obtaining some parameters previously uncharacterized. Recent results have demonstrated that the magnetic tower" scenario of jet formation can be reproduced from such experiments, in which the plasma is confined by a helical magnetic field, forming in this way a supersonic jet (Mach number~ 5-10). The ability of performing these experiments makes them of great interest in the field of laboratory astrophysics, and their continuation will contribute to a further understanding of the physical processes driving astrophysical jets."
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE · LondonCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union