Blast waves in magnetized plasmas

Dimensional analysis allowed the discovery of a physical law governing the propagation of a spherical blast wave generated by a punctual and instantaneous energy deposit in a gas. This law, generally known as the Taylor-von Neumann-Sedov solution, has been applied in astrophysics to model supernova blast waves in interstellar plasmas. However, some astronomical observations have shown the existence of non-spherical supernova blast waves. It is suspected that this anisotropy is partly due to the presence of an ambient magnetic field, but the description of a blast wave in such a context remains incomplete. The aim of this study is to model the propagation of a blast wave in a magnetized plasma. The main tools used are dimensional analysis, the ab initio method, based on the equations of magnetohydrodynamics, and numerical simulation. This study results in an analytical model describing the propagation of a blast wave in a magnetized plasma, and its transformation into a magnetic shock. In addition, scaling laws are proposed for the study of supernova blast waves through laboratory experiments consisting of laser shots.