Simulation of radiative shock waves in Xe of last PALS experiments

We present the radiative hydrodynamic simulation code ARWEN applied to study laboratory astrophysics phenomena. Our aim is to reproduce the results obtained from laser-produced radiative shock waves experiments held in PALS in 2011, focusing on the velocity of the shock wave and the length of the radiative precursor formed. We describe the main features of the simulation code as well as the parameters and data (EOS and opacities) used to simulate a target consisting of a Xe gas filled tube illuminated by a 60 J laser during 0.35 ns. A radiative precursor of about 165 μm is formed ahead of a shock wave traveling at velocity of 47.8 km/s, in agreement with the experimental data.