Electron-ion coupling upstream of relativistic collisionless shocks
| dc.creator | Lyubarsky, Yuri | |
| dc.date | 2006-11-01 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-07-07T10:40:42Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-07-07T10:40:42Z | |
| dc.description | 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 propagating both upstream and downstream of the shock. Upstream of the shock, these waves make electrons lag behind ions so that a longitudinal electric field arises and the electrons are accelerated up to the ion kinetic energy. Then thermalization at the shock front results in a plasma with equal temperatures of electrons and ions. Downstream of the shock, the amplitude of the maser-generated wave may exceed the strength of the shock-compressed background magnetic field. In this case the shock-accelerated particles radiate via nonlinear Compton scattering rather than via a synchrotron mechanism. The spectrum of the radiation differs, in the low-frequency band, from that of the synchrotron radiation, providing possible observational tests of the model. | |
| dc.description | 22 pages, 10 figures. To appear in ApJ vol. 653 | |
| dc.identifier | https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0611015 | |
| dc.identifier | http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0611015 | |
| dc.identifier | Astrophys.J.652:1297-1305,2006 | |
| dc.identifier | doi:10.1086/508606 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/181412 | |
| dc.subject | Astrophysics | |
| dc.title | Electron-ion coupling upstream of relativistic collisionless shocks | |
| dc.type | text |