PARTICLE ACCELERATION AND WAVE EXCITATION IN QUASI-PARALLEL HIGH-MACH-NUMBER COLLISIONLESS SHOCKS: PARTICLE-IN-CELL SIMULATION
- Department of Physical Science, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University 1-3-1, Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526 (Japan)
We herein investigate shock formation and particle acceleration processes for both protons and electrons in a quasi-parallel high-Mach-number collisionless shock through a long-term, large-scale, particle-in-cell simulation. We show that both protons and electrons are accelerated in the shock and that these accelerated particles generate large-amplitude Alfvénic waves in the upstream region of the shock. After the upstream waves have grown sufficiently, the local structure of the collisionless shock becomes substantially similar to that of a quasi-perpendicular shock due to the large transverse magnetic field of the waves. A fraction of protons are accelerated in the shock with a power-law-like energy distribution. The rate of proton injection to the acceleration process is approximately constant, and in the injection process, the phase-trapping mechanism for the protons by the upstream waves can play an important role. The dominant acceleration process is a Fermi-like process through repeated shock crossings of the protons. This process is a “fast” process in the sense that the time required for most of the accelerated protons to complete one cycle of the acceleration process is much shorter than the diffusion time. A fraction of the electrons are also accelerated by the same mechanism, and have a power-law-like energy distribution. However, the injection does not enter a steady state during the simulation, which may be related to the intermittent activity of the upstream waves. Upstream of the shock, a fraction of the electrons are pre-accelerated before reaching the shock, which may contribute to steady electron injection at a later time.
- OSTI ID:
- 22522011
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 802, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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