Related papers: Do radio relics challenge diffusive shock accelera…
Estimating the cosmic-ray acceleration efficiency $ \epsilon $ in supernova remnants (SNRs) through observations is a challenging task in general. Based on the Rankine-Hugoniot shock conditions, we find an anticorrelation between $ \epsilon…
Many galaxy clusters host Mpc scale diffuse radio sources called radio halos. Their origin is connected to the processes that lead to the formation of clusters themselves. In order to unveil this connection, statistical studies of radio…
Giant cluster radio relics are thought to form at shock fronts in the course of collisions between galaxy clusters. Via processes that are still poorly understood, these shocks accelerate or re-accelerate cosmic-ray electrons and might…
We investigate the acceleration of particles via the second-order Fermi process in the lobes of giant radio galaxies. Such sites are candidates for the accelerators of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. We focus on the nearby FR I radio galaxy…
Diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) is a prominent mechanism for energizing charged particles up to very large rigidities at astrophysical collisionless shocks. In addition to ions and electrons, it has been proposed that interstellar dust…
We present LOFAR $120-168$ MHz images of the merging galaxy cluster Abell 1240 that hosts double radio relics. In combination with the GMRT $595-629$ MHz and VLA $2-4$ GHz data, we characterised the spectral and polarimetric properties of…
We study diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) of protons and electrons at nonrelativistic, high Mach number, quasiparallel, collisionless shocks by means of self-consistent 1D particle-in-cell simulations. For the first time, both species are…
The recent discoveries in the theory of diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) that stem from first-principle kinetic plasma simulations are discussed. When ion acceleration is efficient, the back-reaction of non-thermal particles and…
Radio relics are arc-like synchrotron sources at the periphery of galaxy clusters, produced by cosmic-ray electrons in a $\mu$G magnetic field which are believed to have been (re-)accelerated by merger shock fronts. However, not all relics…
{We simulate the evolution of relativistic electrons injected into the intracluster medium by five radio galaxies. We study the spatial transport and the emission properties of the injected radio plasma over a $\sim 5$ Gyr period, and the…
Merger shocks induce turbulence in the intra-cluster medium (ICM), and, under some circumstances, accelerate electrons to relativistic velocities to form so-called radio relics. Relics are mostly found at the periphery of galaxy clusters…
Radio relics are diffuse extended synchrotron sources that originate from shock fronts induced by galaxy cluster mergers. The actual particle acceleration mechanism at the shock fronts is still under debate. The galaxy cluster 1RXS…
We investigate the process of Diffusive Shock Acceleration (DSA) of particles with mass number to charge number ratios $A/Q > 1$, e.g., partially-ionized heavy ions. To this end, we introduce helium- and carbon-like ions at solar abundances…
Giant radio relics in the outskirts of galaxy clusters are known to be lit up by the relativistic electrons produced via diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) in shocks with low sonic Mach numbers, $M_{\rm s}\lesssim3$. The particle…
We investigate the interplay of cosmic ray (CR) propagation and advection in galaxy clusters. Propagation in form of CR diffusion and streaming tends to drive the CR radial profiles towards being flat, with equal CR number density…
The intracluster medium (ICM) is expected to experience on average about three passages of weak shocks with low sonic Mach numbers, $M\lesssim 3$, during the formation of galaxy clusters. Both protons and electrons could be accelerated to…
Relativistic sources, e.g. gamma-ray bursts, pulsar wind nebulae and powerful active galactic nuclei produce relativistic outflows that lead to the formation of collisionless shock waves, where particle acceleration is thought to take…
The generation of merger shocks is a natural outcome of the hierarchical process of structure formation. As time elapses cosmic structures grow in mass and size via mergers and through the continuous accretion of material onto the potential…
Clusters of galaxies are the largest gravitationally bound objects in the Universe, containing about 10^15 solar masses of hot (10^8 K) gas, galaxies and dark matter in a typical volume of about 10 Mpc^3. Magnetic fields and relativistic…
The diffusive shock acceleration scenario is usually invoked to explain radio relics, although the detailed driving mechanism is still a matter of debate. Our aim is to constrain models for the origin of radio relics by comparing observed…