Related papers: Particle Acceleration in Relativistic Shearing Flo…
We examine limits to the efficiency for particles acceleration in shearing flows, showing that relativistic flow speeds are required for efficient gradual shear acceleration. We estimate maximum achievable particle energies for parameters…
We review the acceleration of energetic particles in relativistic astrophysical jets characterized by a significant velocity shear. The possible formation of power-law momentum spectra is discussed and typical acceleration timescales are…
Shear flows are naturally expected to occur in astrophysical environments and potential sites of continuous non-thermal Fermi-type particle acceleration. Here we investigate the efficiency of expanding relativistic outflows to facilitate…
Shear flows are ubiquitously present in space and astrophysical plasmas. This paper highlights the central idea of the non-thermal acceleration of charged particles in shearing flows and reviews some of the recent developments. Topics…
We consider the acceleration of charged particles near ultra-relativistic shocks, with Lorentz factor Gamma_s >> 1. We present simulations of the acceleration process and compare these with results from semi-analytical calculations. We show…
Gradual shear acceleration of energetic particles in gamma-ray burst (GRB) jets is considered. Special emphasis is given to the analysis of universal structured jets, and characteristic acceleration timescales are determined for a power-law…
Fermi-type shear particle acceleration is a promising mechanism for sustaining ultra-relativistic particles along the kilo-parsec scale jets in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs). We explore the possibility of synchrotron-limited electron…
The acceleration of energetic particles in astrophysical shear flows is analyzed. We show that in the presence of a non-relativistic gradual velocity shear, power law particle momentum distributions $f(p) \propto p^{-(3+\alpha)}$ may be…
X-ray observations of kilo-parsec scale jets indicate that a synchrotron origin of the sustained non-thermal emission is likely. This requires distributed acceleration of electrons up to near PeV energies along the jet. The underlying…
We consider the acceleration of particles due to a velocity shear in relativistic astrophysical flows. The basic physical picture and the formation of power law momentum spectra is discussed for a non-relativistic velocity field using a…
A plasma velocity shear layer and/or a tangential flow discontinuity provide conditions allowing for energetic particle acceleration. We review such acceleration processes acting both in non-relativistic and in relativistic flows. In…
Shear flows, ubiquitous in space and astrophysical plasmas, can accelerate particles through turbulence excited by the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. We present the first numerical study of particle acceleration in non-relativistic,…
A high energy power law is a common feature in the spectra of many astrophysical objects. We show that the photons in a relativistic plasma with a variable Lorentz factor go through repeated scattering with electrons to gain energy. The…
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…
A microscopic analysis of the viscous energy gain of energetic particles in (gradual) non-relativistic shear flows is presented. We extend previous work and derive the Fokker-Planck coefficients for the average rate of momentum change and…
In high-energy astrophysics, interpreting observed spectra hinges on understanding the competition between energy gains and radiative losses. To progress along these lines, we report on particle-in-cell simulations of particle acceleration…
We explore a new mechanism for photon energy gain in a relativistic plasma with velocity shear. This process takes place in optically thick plasma and resembles conventional Fermi acceleration, where photons undergo multiple scatterings…
Monte-Carlo computations for highly relativistic parallel shock particle acceleration are presented for upstream flow gamma factors, $\Gamma=(1-V_{1}^{2}/c^{2})^{-0.5}$ with values between 5 and $10^{3}$. The results show that the spectral…
The theory of linear acceleration emission is developed for a large amplitude electrostatic wave in which all particles become highly relativistic in much less than a wave period. An Airy integral approximation is shown to apply near the…
We discuss processes accelerating cosmic ray electrons at boundaries of relativistic jets. The resulting spectrum is expected to posses two characteristic components: a power-law distribution at lower energies and a harder high energy…