Laboratory evidence of Weibel magnetogenesis driven by temperature gradient using three-dimensional synchronous proton radiography

Abstract

The origin of the cosmic magnetic field remains an unsolved mystery, relying not only on specific dynamo processes but also on the seed field to be amplified. Recently, the diffuse radio emission and Faraday rotation observations reveal that there has been a microgauss-level magnetic field in intracluster medium in the early universe, which places strong constraints on the strength of the initial field and implies the underlying kinetic effects; the commonly believed Biermann battery can only provide extremely weak seed of 10−21 G. Here, we present evidence for the spontaneous Weibel-type magnetogenesis in laser-produced weakly collisional plasma with the three-dimensional synchronous proton radiography, where the distribution anisotropy directly arises from the temperature gradient, even without the commonly considered interpenetrating plasmas or shear flows. This field can achieve sufficient strength and is sensitive to Coulomb collision. Our results demonstrate the importance of kinetics in magnetogenesis in weakly collisional astrophysical scenarios.