Modeling the interaction of solar wind with a dipole magnetic field with Shenguang II intense lasers

The interaction of solar wind with a dipole magnetic field is modeled in a laboratory setting with a small cylindrical permanent magnet and magnetized plasma driven by intense lasers. The result shows a potential application in the understanding of Earth's magnetosphere near the pole region. Some significant features are observed in our experiments, such as magnetic reconnection and repulsion, which agree well with magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulation results.