Studies of Spontaneous Magnetic Fields in Laser-Produced Plasmas by Faraday Rotation

Abstract

An extensive study has been made of the large magnetic fields in the plasma near the focus of a high-irradiance Nd-laser beam. The dependence of the magnetic field on many experimental conditions is noted---particularly timing and the presence of a preformed plasma. The data were obtained with a Raman-shifted, three-channel Faraday-rotation diagnostic system.