Related papers: Massive particle production from accelerated sourc…
Observational and theoretical evidence suggest that beams of accelerated particles are produced in flaring events of all sizes in the solar atmosphere, from X-class flares to nanoflares. Current models of these types of particles in flaring…
Axions, the hypothetical particles restoring the charge-parity symmetry in the strong sector of the Standard Model, and one of the most prone candidates for dark matter, are well-known to interact with plasmas. In a recent publication…
We review the physics of the highest energy cosmic rays. The discovery of their sources, still unknown, will reveal the most energetic astrophysical objects in the universe and could unveil new physics beyond the standard model of particle…
The center of our Galaxy is a complex region characterized by extreme phenomena. The presence of the supermassive Sagittarius A* black hole, a high Dark Matter density and an even higher baryonic density are able to produce very energetic…
We study the generation of strong magnetic fields in magnetars and in the early universe. For this purpose we calculate the antisymmetric contribution to the photon polarization tensor in a medium consisting of an electron-positron plasma…
We undertake an investigation of particle acceleration in the context of non-linear electrodynamics. We deduce the maximum energy that an electron can gain in a non-linear density wave in a magnetised plasma, and we show that an electron…
Stochastic acceleration of electrons and protons by waves propagating parallel to the large scale magnetic fields of magnetized plasmas is studied with emphasis on the feasibility of accelerating particles from a thermal background to…
Two extreme events in the universe, fast radio bursts (FRBs) and cosmic rays (CRs), could be correlated, where FRBs with extreme field strength near their sources may contribute to CRs. This study investigates localized particle…
There has recently been growing evidence for the existence of neutron stars possessing magnetic fields with strengths that exceed the quantum critical field strength of $4.4 \times 10^{13}$ G, at which the cyclotron energy equals the…
Laboratory experiments to explore plasma conditions and stimulated particle acceleration can illuminate aspects of the cosmic particle acceleration process. Here we discuss the cosmic-ray candidate source object variety, and what has been…
In turbulent magnetized plasmas, charged particles can be accelerated to high energies through their interactions with the turbulent motions. As they do so, they draw energy from the turbulence, possibly up to the point where they start…
Many models of ultra-high energy cosmic-ray production involve acceleration in linear accelerators located in Gamma-Ray Bursts magnetars, or other sources. These source models require very high accelerating gradients, $10^{13}$ keV/cm, with…
The electron-positron pair production by an electron in a strong magnetic field near the process threshold is considered. The process is shown to be more probable if the spin of the initial electron is oriented along the field. In this…
We consider the stochastic acceleration of particles which results from resonant interactions with plasma waves in black hole magnetospheres. We calculate acceleration rates and escape time scales for protons and electrons resonating with…
In these lecture notes we give an introduction to the kinetic equation approach to pair production form the vacuum in strong, time-dependent external fields (dynamical Schwinger process). We first give a derivation of the kinetic equation…
Relativistic current sheets have been proposed as the sites of dissipation in pulsar winds, jets in active galaxies and other Poynting-flux dominated flows. It is shown that the steady versions of these structures differ from their…
Particle acceleration by electrostatic polarization fields that arise in plasmas streaming across magnetic fields is discussed as a possible acceleration mechanism of highest-energy cosmic rays. Specifically, plasmoids arising in planetoid…
Nature's most powerful high-energy sources are capable of accelerating particles to high energy and radiate it away on extremely short timescales, even shorter than the light crossing time of the system. It is yet unclear what physical…
The energy spectrum and mass composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays inferred at the Pierre Auger Observatory are used to derive a benchmark scenario for the emission mechanisms at play in extragalactic accelerators as well as for…
We consider the problem of axion production by bremsstrahlung emission in a nuclear medium. The usual assumption of a massless axion is replaced by more general hypotheses, so that we can describe the emission process for axions with mass…