Rayleigh-Taylor-induced magnetic fields in laser-irradiated plastic foils

Experimental observations of magnetic fields generated by Rayleigh-Taylor growth in laser-irradiated planar foils are presented. X-ray and monoenergetic proton radiographic techniques were used to probe plastic foils with seeded surface perturbations at different times during the evolution. Protons deflected by fields in the target cause modulations in proton fluence at the seed wavelength of 120 mu m. Path-integrated magnetic-field strengths were inferred from modulations in proton fluence using a discrete-Fourier-transform analysis technique and found to increase from 10 to 100 T-mu m during linear growth. Electron thermal conduction was shown to be unaffected by Rayleigh-Taylor-induced magnetic fields during the linear growth phase. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4748579]