Suppression and enhancement of electromagnetic pulses from laser–target interactions by strong magnetic fields
Laser–target interactions generate intense electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) that can interfere with measurements and damage equipment. In this paper we show that applying a magnetic field to nanosecond pulse laser–target interactions decreases the magnitude of EMPs. We demonstrate this effect in two experiments with different geometries (spherical versus planar), laser intensities ( ∼10 13 versus ∼10 15 W/cm 2 ) and applied field strength (12 versus 0.1 T) that both observed suppression of EMPs in approximately the 1 GHz band (by factors of 0.65× and 0.32×, respectively). We then observe the opposite effect at high intensities with a picosecond pulse: for planar experiments with laser intensities of approximately 10 19 W/cm 2 and magnetic fields of 6–10 T, the magnitude of EMPs is increased by a factor of 1.75×. These results provide a benchmark for models of EMP generation, but suggest that magnetic fields are not a viable solution for mitigating EMPs in the high-intensity laser facilities where they are most damaging.