Related papers: Testing cosmic-ray acceleration with radio relics:…
Context. The recent discovery of so-called mega radio halos as a new class of diffuse, steep-spectrum radio sources in clusters of galaxies has raised questions about the origin and the evolution of cluster-wide radio emission. Aims. We…
Diffuse radio emission in galaxy clusters is known to be related to cluster mass and cluster dynamical state. We collect the observed fluxes of radio halos, relics, and mini-halos for a sample of galaxy clusters from the literature, and…
Acceleration of cosmic-ray electrons (CRe) in the intra-cluster-medium (ICM) is probed by radio observations that detect diffuse, Mpc-scale, synchrotron sources in a fraction of galaxy clusters. Giant radio halos are the most spectacular…
We review observations of extended regions of radio emission in clusters; these include diffuse emission in `relics', and the large central regions commonly referred to as `halos'. The spectral observations, as well as Faraday rotation…
We developed a magneto-turbulent model for the cosmic ray (CR) electrons seen in the radio halo clusters of galaxies. Steady state momentum distribution functions of the CR electrons are calculated for given spectra of the turbulent Alfven…
We study the acceleration of charged particles by ultra-relativistic shocks using test-particle Monte-Carlo simulations. Two field configurations are considered: (i) shocks with uniform upstream magnetic field in the plane of the shock, and…
Galaxy clusters are known to be reservoirs of Cosmic Rays (CRs), as inferred from theoretical calculations or detection of CR-derived observables. CR acceleration in clusters is mostly attributed to the dynamical activity that produces…
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…
Radio relics are Mpc-sized synchrotron sources located in the peripheral regions of galaxy clusters. Models based on the diffuse shock acceleration (DSA) scenario have been widely accepted to explain the formation of radio relics. However,…
Radio relics are extended radio emission features which trace shock waves in the periphery of galaxy clusters originating from cluster mergers. Some radio relics show a highly polarised emission, which make relics an excellent probe for the…
We show that Compton scattering by electrons of the hot intergalactic gas in galaxy clusters should lead to peculiar distortions of the cosmic background X-ray and soft gamma-ray radiation - an increase in its brightness at E<60-100 keV and…
Galaxy-cluster merger shocks efficiently accelerate the ambient electrons through diffusive shock acceleration and amplify magnetic field by compressing the Inter Cluster Medium. As a result, such objects produce a significant amount of…
We have examined the properties of shock waves in simulations of large scale structure formation for two cosmological scenarios (a SCDM and a LCDM with Omega =1). Large-scale shocks result from accretion onto sheets, filaments and Galaxy…
Recently, the Pierre Auger Observatory has found strong evidence supporting the extragalactic origin of the most energetic cosmic rays. Despite several observed excesses in the distribution of arrival directions for the highest energy…
It is only now, with low-frequency radio telescopes, long exposures with high-resolution X-ray satellites and gamma-ray telescopes, that we are beginning to learn about the physics in the periphery of galaxy clusters. In the coming years,…
The masses of clusters of galaxies estimated by gravitational lensing exceed in many cases the mass estimates based on hydrostatic equilibrium. This may suggest the existence of nonthermal pressure. We ask if radio galaxies can heat and…
First-order Fermi acceleration processes at ultrarelativistic shocks are studied with Monte Carlo simulations. The accelerated particle spectra are obtained by integrating the exact particle trajectories in a turbulent magnetic field near…
Radio relics are diffuse synchrotron sources in the outskirts of merging galaxy clusters energized by the merger shocks. In this paper, we present an overview of the radio relics in massive cluster mergers identified in the new TNG-Cluster…
Cosmic Ray (CR) acceleration still challenges the researchers. Fast particles may be accelerated in astrophysical environments by a variety of processes. Acceleration in magnetic reconnection sites in particular, has lately attracted the…
Particle acceleration in relativistic shocks of electron-positron plasmas with proton admixture is investigated through two-dimensional (2D) particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. The upstream plasma, with a bulk Lorentz factor of $10$ and a…