High-Velocity Interactions of Laser-Driven Tin Ejecta Microjets

Ejecta microjets are generated when a shock breaks out from the free surface of a sample and interacts with a surface feature, such as a groove or a divot, and travel at several kilometers per second. These high-velocity jets can be highly destructive and therefore undesirable in high energy density experiments. Recent studies of laser-driven tin ejecta microjets have demonstrated that two colliding microjets can pass through each other unattenuated or, at higher shock pressures, strongly interact and result in a particle-laden plume. It has long been known that microjet characteristics, such as mass-velocity distributions, vary as a function of shock pressure, but never have differences in interaction behavior been observed. It is unknown if the differences in collisional behavior are due to density differences, material phase effects or other complex phenomena. To that end, we further investigate the interaction of tin eject microjets in order to better understand jet interactions as a function of drive pressure. This work will provide new understanding of materials physics driving microjet interaction dynamics.