Related papers: Absence of Electron Surfing Acceleration in a Two-…
We report the results of a 3D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation carried out to study the early-stage evolution of the shock formed when an unmagnetized relativistic jet interacts with an ambient electron-ion plasma. Full-shock structures…
The acceleration of suprathermal electrons in the solar wind is mainly associated with shocks driven by interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs). It is well known that the acceleration of electrons is much more efficient at…
Radiative shocks, behind which gas cools faster than the dynamical time, play a key role in many astrophysical transients, including classical novae and young supernovae interacting with circumstellar material. The dense layer behind high…
Plasma shock waves widely exist and play an important role in high-energy-density environment, especially in the inertial confinement fusion. Due to the large gradient of macroscopic physical quantities and the coupled thermal, electrical,…
It is argued and demonstrated by particle-in-cell simulations that the synchrotron maser instability could develop at the front of a relativistic, magnetized shock. The instability generates strong low-frequency electromagnetic waves…
Observations of flare-heated electrons in the corona typically suggest confinement of electrons. The confinement mechanism, however, remains unclear. The transport of coronal hot electrons into ambient plasma was recently investigated by…
We use 2D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations to study the effect of the saturated whistler instability on the viscous heating and nonthermal acceleration of electrons in a shearing, collisionless plasma with a growing magnetic field,…
The theory and simulations of quasi-perpendicular and strictly perpendicular collisionless shocks are reviewed. The text is structured into the following sections and subsections: 1. Setting the frame, where the quasi-perpendicular shock…
Particle in cell (PIC) simulations of collisionless magnetic reconnection are presented that demonstrate that the electron dissipation region develops a distinct two-scale structure along the outflow direction. The length of the electron…
Recent advances in the understanding of the properties of supernova remnant shocks have been precipitated by the Chandra and XMM X-ray Observatories, and the HESS Atmospheric Cerenkov Telescope in the TeV band. A critical problem for this…
Collisionless shocks are known to induce turbulence via upstream ion reflection within the precursor region. This study elucidates the properties of electrostatic and electromagnetic instabilities, exploring their role over the…
Dynamics of a charged relativistic particle in a uniform magnetic field and an obliquely propagating electrostatic shock wave is considered. The system is reduced to a two degrees of freedom Hamiltonian system with slow and fast variables.…
We report the results of 1D particle-in-cell simulations of ultrarelativistic shock waves in proton-electron-positron plasmas. We consider magnetized shock waves, in which the upstream medium carries a large scale magnetic field, directed…
Non-relativistic collisionless shock waves are widespread in space and astrophysical plasmas and are known as efficient particle accelerators. However, our understanding of collisionless shocks, including their structure and the mechanisms…
A leading explanation for the origin of Galactic cosmic rays is acceleration at high-Mach number shock waves in the collisionless plasma surrounding young supernova remnants. Evidence for this is provided by multi-wavelength non-thermal…
The outflows from gamma ray bursts, active galactic nuclei and relativistic jets in general interact with the surrounding media through collisionless shocks. With three dimensional relativistic particle-in-cell simulations we investigate…
We discuss how the electrons in relativistic GRB shocks can reach near-equipartition in energy with the protons. We emphasize the non-Fermi origin of such acceleration. We argue that the dynamics of the electrons in the foreshock region and…
Two dimensional modeling of collisionless shocks has been of tremendous importance in understanding the physics of the non-linear evolution, momentum transfer and particle acceleration, but current computer capacities have now reached a…
We study relativistic particles undergoing surfing acceleration at perpendicular shocks. We assume that particles undergo diffusion in the component of momentum perpendicular to the shock plane due to moderate fluctuations in the shock…
In space and astrophysical plasmas, like in planetary magnetospheres, as that of Mercury,energetic electrons are often found near current sheets (CSs), which hints at electron acceleration by magnetic reconnection. Unfortunately, electron…