Related papers: Radiation- and pair-loaded shocks
Recently Usov's mechanism of pair creation on the surface of compact astrophysical objects has been revisited [1] with a conclusion that the pair creation rate was previously underestimated in the literature by nearly two orders of…
We explore the physics of shock evolution and particle acceleration in non-relativistic collisionless shocks using multidimensional hybrid simulations. We analyze a wide range of physical parameters relevant to the acceleration of cosmic…
Models of steady-state plane-parallel shock waves propagating through the unperturbed hydrogen gas of temperature T=6000K and density rho = 1e-10 gm/cm^3 are computed for upstream velocities from 15 km/s to 70 km/s. The shock wave structure…
We study the structure of reverse shocks formed by the collision of supersonic, magnetised plasma flows driven by an inverse (or exploding) wire array with a planar conducting obstacle. We observe that the structure of these reverse shocks…
Strong non-relativistic shocks are known to accelerate particles up to relativistic energies. However, for Diffusive Shock Acceleration electrons must have a highly suprathermal energy, implying a need for very efficient pre-acceleration.…
It is argued and demonstrated by particle-in-cell simulations that the synchrotron maser instability could develop at the front of a relativistic, magnetized shock. The instability generates strong low-frequency electromagnetic waves…
We investigate shock structure and particle acceleration in relativistic magnetized collisionless pair shocks by means of 2.5D and 3D particle-in-cell simulations. We explore a range of inclination angles between the pre-shock magnetic…
We summarize recent attempts to unravel the role of plasma kinetic effects in radiation mediated shocks. Such shocks form in all strong stellar explosions and are responsible for the early electromagnetic emission released from these…
We have investigated particle acceleration and emission from shocks and shear flows associated with an unmagnetized relativistic jet plasma propagating into an unmagnetized ambient plasma. Strong electro-magnetic fields are generated in the…
Heating a solid with laser-accelerated fast electrons is unique way for a laboratory experiment to generate a plane powerful shock wave with a pressure of several hundred or even thousands of Mbar. Behind the front of such a powerful shock…
An extreme case of electron shock drift acceleration in low Mach number collisionless shocks is investigated as a plausible mechanism of initial acceleration of relativistic electrons in large-scale shocks in galaxy clusters where upstream…
A (diatomic) shape resonance is a metastable state of a pair of colliding atoms quasi-bound by the centrifugal barrier imposed by the angular momentum involved in the collision. The temporary trapping of the atoms' scattering wavefunction…
We examine the effect of Compton drag on the dynamics of a relativistic shock wave. Similarity solutions describing a radiation-supported shock are obtained for certain profiles of the external radiation intensity and the density of the…
In this paper we present computations of the integrated metal-ion column densities produced in the post-shock cooling layers behind fast, radiative shock-waves. For this purpose, we have constructed a new shock code that calculates the…
We use a 1-D Lagrangian code which follows both a gaseous and a dark component to study the radiative shocks that appear in the evolution of spherical scale-free perturbations in an Einstein-de Sitter Universe. The detailed behaviour of the…
An ejection mechanism of relativistic jets from slim disks is studied. Since the radiation pressure is dominant in the slim disk, radiative energy flow arises along the pressure gradient in the vertical direction. The divergence of the…
This paper presents generalized forms of jump relations for one dimensional shock waves propagating in a dusty gas. The dusty gas is assumed to be a mixture of a perfect gas and spherically small solid particles, in which solid particle are…
Shocks in astrophysical transients are key sites of particle acceleration. If the shock upstream is optically thick, radiation smoothens the velocity discontinuity at the shock (radiation-mediated shocks). However, in mildly magnetized…
The radiative acceleration of particles and the electrostatic potential fields that arise in low density plasmas hit by radiation produced by a transient, compact source are investigated. We calculate the dynamical evolution and asymptotic…
The long-range energy deposition by heavy-ion beams makes new types of shock wave experiments possible in the laboratory. We have investigated a situation that is of relevance to supernova dynamics in astrophysics, where a shock wave is…