| The solar wind crosses the magnetic field of the earth and mixes with the plasma of terrestrial origin. The fast particles from the solar wind are responsible for satellite damage, communication disruptions and power blackouts on earth. A better understanding of penetration into the magnetosphere by these fast particles is needed in order to be able to accurately predict it. Measurements in the magnetosphere are done with satellites, so they depend on the current conditions of the magnetosphere at the location of the satellites. Controlled laboratory experiments are needed to constrain the physical parameters. One experiment attempting to accomplish this was performed at the Nevada Terawatt Facility. This utilized the coupling of the short-pulse laser, Tomcat, with the pulsed-power generator, Zebra, to study the interaction of a laser produced plasma with an independently produced magnetic field. The laboratory plasma in this experiment produced an instability similar to that found in the interaction between the solar wind and the magnetosphere that leads to the penetration of the fast particles. This instability will be discussed as will the experiment's applicability to the solar wind/magnetosphere interaction. |
