Radiative shocks: An opportunity to study laboratory astrophysics

In this paper, experimental results on radiative shocks generated by a high power laser in a xenon gas cell are presented. Two sets of experiments have been performed at the Laser pour l'Utilisation des Lasers Intenses (LULI) laboratory. Several shock parameters were simultaneously measured: shock temperature and velocities, the precursor two-dimensional (2D) time evolution, its electron density, density gradient, and temperature. Data were obtained varying initial conditions for different laser intensities and gas pressures. Comparisons with 1D and 2D radiative hydrodynamic simulations are shown for all measured parameters (shock velocity, shape, radial expansion, and temperature as well as precursor velocity and electron density).