Relativistic magnetosonic shock waves in synchrotron sources - Shock structure and nonthermal acceleration of positrons
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA (United States)
The theoretical properties of relativistic, transverse, magnetosonic collisionless shock waves in electron-positron-heavy ion plasmas of relevance to astrophysical sources of synchrotron radiation are investigated. Both 1D electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulations and quasi-linear theory are used to examine the spatial and kinetic structure of these nonlinear flows. A new process of shock acceleration of nonthermal positrons, in which the gyrating reflected heavy ions dissipate their energy in the form of collectively emitted, left-handed magnetosonic waves which are resonantly absorbed by the positrons immediately behind the ion reflection region, is described. Applications of the results to the termination shocks of pulsar winds and to the termination shocks of jets emanating from the AGN are outlined. 61 refs.
- OSTI ID:
- 7287712
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal; (United States), Vol. 390:2; ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Relativistic shock waves and the excitation of plerions
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Related Subjects
GENERAL PHYSICS
COSMIC X-RAY SOURCES
GALAXY NUCLEI
PLASMA JETS
SHOCK WAVES
PULSARS
STELLAR WINDS
ACCELERATION
COLLISIONLESS PLASMA
CRAB NEBULA
CYCLOTRON RADIATION
ELECTRON PAIRS
ENERGY SPECTRA
INTERSTELLAR SPACE
MAGNETOACOUSTIC WAVES
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
NUMERICAL ANALYSIS
POSITRONS
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
SYNCHROTRON RADIATION
ANTILEPTONS
ANTIMATTER
ANTIPARTICLES
BREMSSTRAHLUNG
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
COSMIC RAY SOURCES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY RANGE
FERMIONS
HYDROMAGNETIC WAVES
LEPTONS
MATHEMATICS
MATTER
NEBULAE
PLASMA
RADIATIONS
SPACE
SPECTRA
STELLAR ACTIVITY
SUPERNOVA REMNANTS
661300* - Other Aspects of Physical Science- (1992-)