Fig. 1. Schematic illustration of the experiment setup. Three pinhole cameras were installed to monitor laser–plasmas from the back, front and side, respectively. Modified Nomarski interferometry applying a 532 nm laser beam in 150 ps Gaussian pulse was used as the main diagnostic in the front of the target to measured the plasma density. An imaging system with magnification ratio of 1.5 was used to monitor the target plasma profile.

Fig. 2. Detailed comparisons between the solar phenomena and the experimental results. (a) shows the loop-top hard-X-ray spot as well as the two loop-foot spots, with the sketch indicating the invoked magnetic reconnection as the cause; (b) is the experimental results with a bright X-ray spot on the Cu target initially set in the path of the expected MR outflow; (c) shows the Yohkoh-recorded cusp-shaped magnetic loop at the end of the MR current sheet near the solar photospheric surface, and (d) the detaching U-shaped magnetic loop from the other end of the current sheet.

Fig. 3. Plasma images taken at 532 nm. (a) is the raw image. (b) is produced by the pre-measured background correction to (a), while (c) is produced from (a) in the same way, but with 25% extra intensity enhancement in the background. (d) is the schematic image structure with enlightened magnetic separatrices and bright areas in (c) represented by solid lines. (e) Schematic diagram of a disrupted magnetic field forming in the breakout CME scenario. (d) and (e) are compared component by component as the notes indicate.