Related papers: Cosmic-ray acceleration at collisionless astrophys…
Collisionless shock waves, found in supernova remnants, interstellar, stellar, and planetary environments, and laboratories, are one of nature's most powerful particle accelerators. This study combines in situ satellite measurements with…
Influence of the plasma collisions on the laser-driven collisionless shock formation and subsequent ion acceleration is studied on the basis of two different collisional algorithms and their implementations in two well-known…
Cosmic Ray transport in curved background magnetic fields is investigated using numerical Monte-Carlo simulation techniques. Special emphasis is laid on the Solar system, where the curvature of the magnetic field can be described in terms…
Understanding the transport of energetic cosmic rays belongs to the most challenging topics in astrophysics. Diffusion due to scattering by electromagnetic fluctuations is a key process in cosmic-ray transport. The transition from a…
We investigate shock acceleration in a realistic astrophysical environment with density inhomogeneities. The turbulence induced by the interaction of the shock precursor with upstream density fluctuations amplifies both upstream and…
High-energy cosmic-ray electrons reveal some remarkable spectral features, the most noteworthy of which is the rise in the positron fraction above 10~GeV. Due to strong energy loss during propagation, these particles can reach Earth only…
We explore how wave-particle interactions affect diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) at astrophysical shocks by performing time-dependent kinetic simulations, in which phenomenological models for magnetic field amplification (MFA), Alfvenic…
We perform a numerical-simulation study of the acceleration of electrons at shocks that propagate through a prespecified, kinematically defined turbulent magnetic field. The turbulence consists of broadband magnetic fluctuations that are…
The formation of collisionless shock fronts is an ubiquitous phenomenon in space plasma environments. In the solar wind shocks might accompany coronal mass ejections, while even more violent events, such as supernovae, produce shock fronts…
Electron acceleration to non-thermal energies in low Mach number (M<5) shocks is revealed by radio and X-ray observations of galaxy clusters and solar flares, but the electron acceleration mechanism remains poorly understood. Diffusive…
We present the results of large hybrid (kinetic ions - fluid electrons) simulations of particle acceleration at non-relativistic collisionless shocks. Ion acceleration efficiency and magnetic field amplification are investigated in detail…
We develop a self-consistent nonlinear extension of diffusive shock acceleration that incorporates cosmic ray (CR) backreaction on the shock precursor together with a physically motivated upstream-escape mechanism that produces an…
In this paper, we study the diffusive shock acceleration of cosmic-ray protons and nuclei, taking into account all the relevant interaction processes with photon backgrounds. We investigate how the competition between protons and nuclei is…
Recent advances in both the MHD turbulence theory and cosmic ray observations call for revisions in the paradigm of cosmic ray transport. We use the models of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence that were tested in numerical simulation, in which…
Recent gamma-ray observations of middle-aged supernova remnants revealed a mysterious broken power-law spectrum. Using three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics simulations, we show that the interaction between a supernova blast wave and…
Collisionless shocks play an important role in space and astrophysical plasmas by irreversibly converting the energy of the incoming supersonic plasma flows into other forms, including plasma heat, particle acceleration, and electromagnetic…
Despite being studied for many years, the structure of collisionless shocks is still not fully determined. Such shocks are known to be accelerators of cosmic rays, which, in turn, modify the shock structure. The shock width $\lambda$ is…
Diffusive shock acceleration is invoked to explain non-thermal particle acceleration in Supernova Remnants, Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) Jets, Gamma ray Bursts (GRBs) and various large scale cosmic structures. The importance of achieving…
Aims. The random walk of energetic charged particles in turbulent magnetic fields is investigated. Special focus is placed on transport across the mean magnetic field, which had been found to be subdiffusive on many occasions. Therefore, a…
In this thesis different numerical methods, as well as applications of the methods to a number of current problems in relativistic astrophysics, are presented. In the first part the theoretical foundation and numerical implementation of a…