Related papers: Physics of collisionless shocks - theory and simul…
Two dimensional modeling of collisionless shocks has been of tremendous importance in understanding the physics of the non-linear evolution, momentum transfer and particle acceleration, but current computer capacities have now reached a…
Collisionless shocks play a key role in the heliosphere at planetary bow shocks by governing the conversion of the upstream bulk kinetic energy of the solar wind flow to other forms of energy in the downstream, including bulk plasma heat,…
Although the origin of cosmic rays (CRs) remains an open question, collisionless magnetized shock waves are widely regarded as key sites for particle acceleration. Recent theories further suggest that shock-shock collisions in stellar…
The motion of a particle in a spatially harmonic magnetic field is a basic problem involved, for example, in the mechanism of formation of a collisionless shock. In such settings, it is generally reasoned that particles entering a Weibel…
We present a theory of ultrarelativistic collisionless shocks based on the relativistic kinetic two-stream instability. We demonstrate that the shock front is unstable to the generation of small-scale, randomly tangled magnetic fields.…
Electrostatic two-stream instabilities play essential roles in an electrostatic collisionless shock formation. They are a key dissipation mechanism and result in ion heating and acceleration. Since the number and energy of the…
This research was motivated by the recent observations indicating very strong magnetic fields at some supernova remnant shocks, which suggests in-situ generation of magnetic turbulence. The dissertation presents a numerical model of…
Electron motion in an oblique shock wave is studied by means of a one-dimensional, relativistic, electromagnetic, particle simulation code with full ion and electron dynamics. It is found that an oblique shock can produce electrons with…
Diffusive shock acceleration at collisionless shocks remains the most likely process for accelerating particles in a variety of astrophysical sources. While the standard prediction for strong shocks is that the spectrum of accelerated…
We present some recent developments in the theory of particle acceleration at shock fronts in the presence of dynamical reaction of the accelerated particles and self-generation of magnetic field due to streaming instability. The spectra of…
We analyze the generation of kinetic instabilities and their effect on the energization of ions in non-relativistic, oblique collisionless shocks using a 3D-3V simulation by $\texttt{dHybridR}$, a hybrid particle-in-cell code. At…
Collisionless shocks are fundamental processes that are ubiquitous in space plasma physics throughout the Heliosphere and most astrophysical environments. Earth's bow shock and interplanetary shocks at 1 AU offer the most readily accessible…
We outline transient quasi-magnetostatic phenomena associated with Weibel-type instabilities, mainly, the formation and decay of the current sheets and filaments. We consider a collisionless anisotropic plasma cloud with hot electrons…
We present numerical results from plasma particle simulations of collisionless shocks and ultra-relativistic counter-streaming plasmas. We demonstrate how the field-particle interactions lead to particle acceleration behind the shock-front.…
Shock acceleration is an ubiquitous phenomenon in astrophysical plasmas. Plasma waves and their associated instabilities (e.g., the Buneman instability, two-streaming instability, and the Weibel instability) created in the shocks are…
Collisionless plasma shocks are efficient sources of non-thermal particle acceleration in space and astrophysical systems. We use hybrid (kinetic ions -- fluid electrons) simulations to examine the non-linear feedback of the self-generated…
Energy partition between ions and electrons in collisionless shocks has long been an unsolved fundamental physical problem. We show that kinetic simulations of moderate Alfv\'enic Mach number, magnetized, collisionless shocks reveal rapid,…
In collisional fluids, a number of key processes rely on the frequency of binary collisions. Collisions seem necessary to generate a shock wave when two fluids collide fast enough, to fulfill the Rankine-Hugoniot relations, to establish an…
Understanding the conditions conducive to particle acceleration at collisionless, non-relativistic shocks is important for the origin of cosmic rays. We use hybrid (kinetic ions -- fluid electrons) kinetic simulations to investigate…
We investigate the acceleration of charged particles (both electrons and protons) at collisionless shocks predicted to exist in the vicinity of solar flares. The existence of standing termination shocks has been examined by flare models and…