Laboratory astrophysics: Radiative shock waves in gas jet targets.

       In case of a high-density gas jet contains a large fraction of clusters, it will strongly absorb the ultrashort laser pulse, and it emits strong x-ray radiation. A strong shock wave is generated in the gas. The dominant cooling mechanism of shock waves is - in most cases - collisons. However in the case of a medium of clusters radiative cooling might become of importance as well. In this case one can speak about radiative shock waves, a type of shock-wave which occurs normally in supernova explosions. Thus studying radiative shock waves in gas jet plasmas can be a tool for modelling such astrophysical processes which can generally be observed in supernova remnants only.