Related papers: Generalized Fermi acceleration
Context. Converging flows with strong magnetic fields of different polarity can accelerate particles through magnetic reconnection. If the particle mean free path is longer than the reconnection layer is thick, but much shorter than the…
The mechanism of diffusive Fermi acceleration at collisionless plasma shock waves is widely invoked in astrophysics to explain the appearance of non-thermal particle populations in a variety of environments, including sites of cosmic ray…
Particle acceleration at magnetized purely perpendicular relativistic shocks in electron-ion plasmas are studied by means of two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. Magnetized shocks with the upstream bulk Lorentz factor $\gamma_1 \gg…
Fast particles are accelerated in astrophysical environments by a variety of processes. Acceleration in reconnection sites has attracted the attention of researchers recently. In this letter we analyze the energy distribution evolution of…
We study the first-order Fermi acceleration process at parallel shock waves by means of Monte Carlo simulations. A 'realistic' model of the magnetic field turbulence is applied involving sinusoidal waves imposed on the background mean field…
Energy spectra of particles accelerated by the first-order Fermi mechanism are investigated at ultrarelativistic shock waves, outside the range of Lorentz factors considered previously. For particle transport near the shock a numerical…
While collisionless plasmas are ubiquitously present near astrophysical compact objects, the impact that their composition has on the high-energy emission is presently unknown. We present the first investigation of particle-acceleration…
Energetic particles in a turbulent medium can be subject to second-order Fermi acceleration due to scattering on moving plasma waves. This mechanism leads to growing particle momentum dispersion and, at the same time, increases the mean…
Theoretical studies of cosmic ray particle acceleration in the first-order Fermi process at relativistic shocks are reviewed. At the beginning we discuss the acceleration processes acting at mildly relativistic shock waves. An essential…
This paper presents numerical simulations of test particle Fermi acceleration at relativistic shocks of Lorentz factor Gamma_sh = 2-60, using a realistic downstream magnetic structure obtained from the shock jump conditions. The upstream…
The probability that a particle, crossing the shock along a given direction, be reflected backwards along another direction, was shown to be the key element in determining the spectrum of non--thermal particles accelerated via the Fermi…
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…
Magnetic reconnection in the relativistic regime has been proposed as an important process for the efficient production of nonthermal particles and high-energy emissions. Using fully kinetic particle-in-cell simulations, we investigate how…
Collisionless shocks generated by two colliding relativistic electron-positron plasma shells are studied using particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. Shocks are mediated by the Weibel instability (WI), and the kinetic energy of the fastest…
We propose the model of the global structure of the electromagnetic fields in the Fermi bubbles (FBs), which makes possible the proton regular acceleration up to ultra-high energies. The poloidal and the toroidal magnetic fields, as well as…
Particle acceleration at plasma shocks appears to be ubiquitous in the universe, spanning systems in the heliosphere, supernova remnants, and relativistic jets in distant active galaxies and gamma-ray bursts. This review addresses some of…
Particles are accelerated to very high, non-thermal energies during explosive energy-release phenomena in space, solar, and astrophysical plasma environments. While it has been established that magnetic reconnection plays an important role…
We consider the general problem of charged particle motion in a strong electromagnetic field of arbitrary configuration and find a universal behaviour: for sufficiently high field strengths, the radiation losses lead to a general tendency…
We investigate the Fermi acceleration of charged particles in 2D MHD anti-parallel plasmoid reconnection, finding a drastic enhancement in energization rate $\dot{\varepsilon}$ over a standard Fermi model of $\dot{\varepsilon} \sim…
Collisionless plasma shock theory, which applies for example to the afterglow of gamma ray bursts, still contains key issues that are poorly understood. In this paper we study charged particle dynamics in a highly relativistic collisionless…