Inductive and Electrostatic Acceleration in Relativistic Jet-Plasma Interactions
Abstract
We report on the observation of rapid particle acceleration in numerical simulations of relativistic jet-plasma interactions and discuss the underlying mechanisms. The dynamics of a charge-neutral, narrow, electron-positron jet propagating through an unmagnetized electron-ion plasma was investigated using a three-dimensional, electromagnetic, particle-in-cell computer code. The interaction excited magnetic filamentation as well as electrostatic plasma instabilities. In some cases, the longitudinal electric fields generated inductively and electrostatically reached the cold plasma wave-breaking limit, and the longitudinal momentum of about half the positrons increased by 50% with a maximum gain exceeding a factor of 2 during the simulation period. Particle acceleration via these mechanisms occurred when the criteria for Weibel instability were satisfied.
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0507231,
title = {Inductive and Electrostatic Acceleration in Relativistic Jet-Plasma Interactions},
author = {Johnny S. T. Ng and Robert J. Noble},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0507231},
year = {2011}
}
Comments
Revised for Phys. Rev. Lett. Please see publised version for best graphics