Computational Study of Magnetic Field Amplification in Laser-Produced Shock Waves Relevant to Supernova Remnants

We have developed a two-dimensional magneto-radiation hydrodynamics code with an induction equation solver to analyze laboratory-astrophysics experiments relevant to a supernova remnant (SNR) environment. The computed magnetic field was amplified by a order of magnitude from the background level as expected for accelerating fields of cosmic rays in the SNR context. A part of the amplification of the magnetic field is caused by Richtmyer-Meshkov instability (RMI) that stretches a contact discontinuity. However, the maximum magnetic field is smaller than the theoretically predicted limit since the non-linear RMI cannot sufficiently grow and the field is amplified by the compression effect rather than the stretching in the present experimental condition. (paper)