  The universe is permeated by magnetic fields, with strengths ranging from a
femtogauss in the voids between the filaments of galaxy clusters to several
teragauss in black holes and neutron stars. The standard model behind
cosmological magnetic fields is the nonlinear amplification of seed fields via
turbulent dynamo to the values observed. We have conceived experiments that aim
to demonstrate and study the turbulent dynamo mechanism in the laboratory. Here
we describe the design of these experiments through simulation campaigns using
FLASH, a highly capable radiation magnetohydrodynamics code that we have
developed, and large-scale three-dimensional simulations on the Mira
supercomputer at Argonne National Laboratory. The simulation results indicate
that the experimental platform may be capable of reaching a turbulent plasma
state and study dynamo amplification. We validate and compare our numerical
results with a small subset of experimental data using synthetic diagnostics.

Plasma Physics;Astrophysics of Galaxies