Particle acceleration in astrophysical jets
Abstract
In this chapter, we review some features of particle acceleration in astrophysical jets. We begin by describing four observational results relating to the topic, with particular emphasis on jets in active galactic nuclei and parallels between different sources. We then discuss the ways in which particles can be accelerated to high energies in magnetised plasmas, focusing mainly on shock acceleration, second-order Fermi and magnetic reconnection; in the process, we attempt to shed some light on the basic conditions that must be met by any mechanism for the various observational constraints to be satisfied. We describe the limiting factors for the maximum particle energy and briefly discuss multimessenger signals from neutrinos and ultrahigh energy cosmic rays, before describing the journey of jet plasma from jet launch to cocoon with reference to the different acceleration mechanisms. We conclude with some general comments on the future outlook.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2003.06587,
title = {Particle acceleration in astrophysical jets},
author = {James Matthews and Anthony Bell and Katherine Blundell},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2003.06587},
year = {2020}
}
Comments
To appear in New Astronomy Reviews special volume '100 Years of Astrophysical Jets' (eds. Rob Fender and Ralph Wijers). 23 pages, 8 figures