Related papers: Particle acceleration in relativistic current shee…
A synthesis of the present knowledge on gamma-ray emission from the magnetosphere of a rapidly rotating neutron star is presented, focusing on the electrodynamics of particle accelerators. The combined curvature, synchrotron, and…
Gamma rays trace accelerated particles, and the observed flux of extragalactic gamma rays therefore constrains the global efficiency for particle acceleration. Extragalactic jets in active galactic nuclei can account for the gamma ray…
Nonlinear, relativistic longitudinal waves with sub-luminal phase velocity $v_p$ are the basis of plasma-based electron accelerators. For such application, key properties of the wave are the maximum or ``wave breaking'' amplitude and the…
Diffusive shock acceleration at collisionless shocks is thought to be the source of many of the energetic particles observed in space. Large-scale spatial variations of the magnetic field has been shown to be important in understanding…
The dissipation of turbulent magnetic fields is an appealing scenario to explain the origin of non-thermal particles in high-energy astrophysical sources. However, it has been suggested that the particle distribution may effectively…
The theory of particle acceleration at shock fronts is briefly reviewed, with special emphasis on the production of the particles responsible for the nonthermal emission from blazars. The flat radio/IR spectra of these sources cannot be…
Shock acceleration is an ubiquitous phenomenon in astrophysical plasmas. Plasma waves and their associated instabilities (e.g.,Buneman, Weibel and other two-stream instabilities) created in collisionless shocks are responsible for particle…
We study motion of a relativistic charged particle in a plane slow electromagnetic wave and background uniform magnetic field. The wave propagates normally to the background field. Under certain conditions, the resonance between the wave…
Radiative transfer in a relativistic accretion disk wind is examined under the plane-parallel approximation in the fully special relativistic treatment. For an equilibrium flow, where the flow speed and the source function are constant, the…
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…
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…
The enhanced star forming activity, typical of starburst galaxies, powers strong galactic winds expanding on kiloparsec (kpc) scales and characterized by bubble structures. Here we discuss the possibility that particle acceleration may take…
Linear stability of a current sheet that is subject to an impulsive acceleration due to a shock passage is studied with the effect of guide magnetic field. We find that the current sheet embedded in relativistically magnetized plasma always…
Context: Solar flares accelerate electrons, creating non-thermal energy distributions. However, the acceleration sites and dominant acceleration mechanisms remain largely unknown. Aims: We study the characteristics of electron acceleration…
We have investigated particle acceleration and shock structure associated with an unmagnetized relativistic jet propagating into an unmagnetized plasma. Strong magnetic fields generated in the trailing jet shock lead to transverse…
We derive analytic formulas for the radiation power output when electrons are accelerated by a relativistic comoving kinetic Poynting flux, and validate these analytic results with Particle-In-Cell simulations. We also derive analytically…
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…
Nature's most powerful high-energy sources are capable of accelerating particles to high energy and radiate it away on extremely short timescales, even shorter than the light crossing time of the system. It is yet unclear what physical…
We study a type of particle acceleration that operates via neutron-proton conversion in inelastic nuclear collisions. This mechanism can be expected for relativistic shocks at subphotospheres if relativistic outflows contain neutrons. Using…
Plasma-filled pulsar magnetospheres contain thin current sheets wherein the charged particles are accelerated by magnetic reconnections to travel at ultra-relativistic speeds. On the other hand, the plasma frequency of the more regular…