Experiments on radiative collapse in laser-produced plasmas relevant to astrophysical jets

We report a laser experiment of astrophysical interest on radiative jet for mation. Conically shaped targets are irradiated by intense laser Light. An ablated plasma flow collides at the axis of the cone targets, then propagat es at high Mach number, forming a jetlike structure. We measure time-resolv ed x-ray self-emission images from the jets. The diameter of the jet increa ses with decreasing atomic number of the irradiated target, suggesting that the collimation is due to radiative cooling. Two-dimensional simulations r eproduce essential features of the experimental results.