Related papers: Particle acceleration in relativistic subluminal s…
Particle acceleration in relativistic shocks of electron-positron plasmas with proton admixture is investigated through two-dimensional (2D) particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. The upstream plasma, with a bulk Lorentz factor of $10$ and a…
Cosmic rays represent one of the most important energy transformation processes of the universe. They bring information about the surrounding universe, our galaxy, and very probably also the extragalactic space, at least at the highest…
We determine the spectrum of particles accelerated at shocks with arbitrary speed and arbitrary scattering properties for different choices of the equation of state of the downstream plasma. More specifically we consider the effect of…
Emission of relativistic axions from transient sources, such as axion star explosions, can lead to observable signatures. We show that axion bursts from collapsing axion stars can be detectable over the wide range of axion masses $10^{-15}…
Cosmic rays are charged particles that are accelerated to relativistic speeds by astrophysical shocks. Numerical models have been successful in confirming the acceleration process for (quasi-)parallel shocks, which have the magnetic field…
Galactic cosmic rays (CRs) are accelerated by astrophysical shocks, primarily supernova remnants (SNRs), via diffusive shock acceleration (DSA), an efficient mechanism that predicts power-law energy distributions of CRs. However,…
The energy region spanning from $\sim 10^{17}$ to $\lesssim 10^{19}$ eV is critical for understanding both, the Galactic and the extragalactic cosmic ray fluxes. This is the region where the propagation regime of nuclei inside the Galactic…
Diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) by relativistic shocks is thought to generate the $dN/dE\propto E^{-p}$ spectra of charged particles in various astronomical relativistic flows. We show that for test particles in one dimension (1D),…
We review the hypothesis that the acceleration of protons at internal shocks in Gamma Ray Bursts (GRB) could be the origin of the ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECR) observed at earth, E_max > 10^19 eV. We find that, even though protons…
We have developed a model that explains cosmic rays with energies E between \~0.3 PeV and the energy of the second knee at E_2 ~ 3*10^{17} eV as originating from a recent Galactic gamma-ray burst (GRB) that occurred ~1 Myr ago within 1 kpc…
The energy range encompassing the ankle of the cosmic ray energy spectrum probably marks the exhaustion of the accelerating sources in our Galaxy, as well as the end of the Galactic confinement. Furthermore, this is the region where the…
The discovery of distant sources of very high energy (VHE) gamma-rays with hard energy spectra enabled to derive strong upper limits on the density of the extragalactic background light (EBL). These limits are close to the lower limits…
In nuclei of starburst galaxies, the combination of an enhanced rate of supernova explosions and a high gas density suggests that cosmic rays can be efficiently produced, and that most of them lose their energy before escaping these…
We review the present status of the cosmic ray acceleration theory in mildly relativistic shock waves. Due to the involved substantial particle anisotropies analytical methods can tackle only simple situations involving weakly turbulent…
The highest energy cosmic rays observed possess macroscopic energies and their origin is likely to be associated with the most energetic processes in the Universe. Their existence triggered a flurry of theoretical explanations ranging from…
Being the most extreme explosions in the universe, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) provide a unique laboratory to study various plasma physics phenomena. The complex lightcurve and broad-band, non-thermal spectra indicate a very complicated system…
While there is some level of consensus on a Galactic origin of cosmic rays up to the knee ($E_{k}\sim 3\times 10^{15}$ eV) and on an extragalactic origin of cosmic rays with energy above $\sim 10^{19}$ eV, the debate on the genesis of…
The center of the our Galaxy is a region where very energetic phenomena take place. In particular powerful cosmic ray sources can be located in that region. The cosmic rays accelerated in these sources may interact with ambient protons…
Supernova explosions into predecessor stellar winds can lead to particle acceleration, which we suggest can explain most of the observed cosmic rays of the nuclei of Helium and heavier elements, from GeV in particle energies up to near $3…
Ultrarelativistic particles called cosmic rays permeate the Milky Way, propagating through the Galactic turbulent magnetic fields. The mechanisms under which these particles increase their energy can be reasonably described by current…