Electron acceleration to relativistic energies by traveling interplanetary shocks

Journal Article · Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1989 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA094iA08p09995· OSTI ID:5834660

Lopate, C ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Chicago, IL (USA)

For several years it has been known that traveling interplanetary shocks can accelerate ions to energies of {ge} 70 MeV/nucleon. Recently, a subset of these shocks has been found to accelerate electrons as well, sometimes to energies of 7 MeV. Between 1978 and 1985 the Pioneer 10/11 spacecraft have observed 11 traveling interplanetary shocks in the outer heliosphere, 7 to 28 AU, which accelerate protons and helium to energies {le}11-20 MeV/nucleon. Six of these shock events also accelerate electrons to the energy range 2-7 MeV. These are the only traveling interplanetary shocks seen by the Pioneer spacecraft where electrons are accelerated to relativistic energies. In this paper the author gives the results of analyses of the solar wind plasma, interplanetary magnetic field, and energetic particle data for the 11 shocks. His analysis has determined that there appears to be three necessary conditions in order for a traveling interplanetary shock to simultaneously accelerate ions to at least 11-20 MeV/nucleon and electrons to relativistic energies: (1) that the upstream magnetic field have a precursor wave in the frequency range 0.003-0.04 s{sup {minus}1}; (2) that the shock has a compression ratio r (={rho}{sub 2}/{rho}{sub 1}) of between 3 and 4, and has the scattering centers converge at {vert bar}{Delta}V{vert bar} {ge} 50 km/s; and (3) that the relativistic electrons be accelerated via the Fermi mechanism. He proposes a model to explain the simultaneous appearance of relativistic electrons and high-energy ions at an outer heliospheric traveling shock.

• OSTI ID: 5834660
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (USA), Vol. 94:A8; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
CHARGED PARTICLES
ACCELERATION
HELIOSPHERE
CHARGED-PARTICLE TRANSPORT
INTERPLANETARY MAGNETIC FIELDS
INTERPLANETARY SPACE
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
SHOCK WAVES
SOLAR WIND
ATMOSPHERES
ENERGY RANGE
MAGNETIC FIELDS
RADIATION TRANSPORT
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SOLAR ATMOSPHERE
SPACE
640104* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Solar Phenomena