Related papers: ASTRO-H White Paper - Shock and Acceleration
Supernova remnants (SNRs) are believed to be the primary location of the acceleration of Galactic cosmic rays, via diffusive shock (Fermi) acceleration. Despite considerable theoretical work the precise details are still unknown, in part…
A supernova (SN) explosion drives stellar debris into the circumstellar material (CSM) filling a region on a scale of parsecs with X-ray emitting plasma. The velocities involved in supernova remnants (SNRs), thousands of km/s, can be…
The giant molecular clouds (MCs) found in the Milky Way and similar galaxies play a crucial role in the evolution of these systems. The supernova explosions that mark the death of massive stars in these regions often lead to interactions…
The joint JAXA/NASA ASTRO-H mission is the sixth in a series of highly successful X-ray missions developed by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), with a planned launch in 2015. The ASTRO-H mission is equipped with a…
Clusters of galaxies are believed to be capable to accelerate protons at accretion shocks to energies exceeding 10^18 eV. At these energies, the losses caused by interactions of cosmic rays with photons of the Cosmic Microwave Background…
If supernova remnants (SNRs) are the sites of cosmic-ray acceleration, the associated nuclear interactions should result in observable fluxes of TeV gamma-rays from the nearest SNRs. Measurements of the gamma-ray flux from six nearby,…
Supernova remnants (SNRs) are believed to produce the majority of galactic cosmic rays (CRs). SNRs harbor non-relativistic collisionless shocks responsible for acceleration of CRs via diffusive shock acceleration (DSA), in which particles…
Supernova remnants (SNRs) are among the most important sources of non-thermal X-rays in the sky and likely contributors to Galactic cosmic rays and represent ideal targets to showcase the capabilities of the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry…
We investigate the effects of the efficient production of cosmic rays on the evolution of supernova remnants (SNRs) in the adiabatic Sedov-Taylor phase. We model the SNR by coupling the hydrodynamic evolution with nonlinear diffusive shock…
Supernova remnants (SNRs) are considered as the most promising source class to account for the bulk of the Galactic cosmic-ray flux. Yet amongst the population of ultra-high energy (UHE) sources that has recently emerged, due to…
All sufficiently massive clusters of galaxies are expected to be surrounded by strong accretion shocks, where protons can be accelerated to $\sim 10^{18}$-$10^{19}$ eV under plausible conditions. Such protons interact with the cosmic…
Accreting neutron stars (NSs) represent a unique laboratory for probing the physics of accretion in the presence of strong magnetic fields ($B\gtrsim 10^8$ G). Additionally, the matter inside the NS itself exists in an ultra-dense, cold…
Precise measurements of galactic cosmic rays revealed a significant difference between the rigidity spectral indices of protons and helium ions. This finding is a notable contrast to the commonly accepted theoretical prediction that…
We review the physics of relativistic shocks, which are often invoked as the sources of non-thermal particles in pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe), gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), and active galactic nuclei (AGN) jets, and as possible sources of…
X-ray spectra from cores of galaxy clusters can be strongly distorted by resonant scattering of line photons, affecting metal abundance and gas velocity measurements. We introduce simulated spectral models that take into account the…
Supernova Remnants (SNRs) shocks are believed to accelerate charged particles and to generate strong turbulence in the post-shock flow. From high-energy observations in the past decade, a magnetic field at SNR shocks largely exceeding the…
We study cosmic-ray acceleration in a supernova remnant (SNR) and the escape from it. We model nonthermal particle and photon spectra for the hidden SNR in the open cluster Westerlund 2, and the old-age mixed-morphology SNR W 28. We assume…
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…
We have developed a simple model to investigate the modifications of the hydrodynamics and non-equilibrium ionization X-ray emission in young supernova remnants due to nonlinear particle acceleration. In nonlinear, diffusive shock…
Supernova remnants (SNRs) are the aftermath of massive stellar explosions or of a white dwarf in a binary system, representing critical phases in the life cycle of stars and playing an important role in galactic evolution. Physical…