The Magnetic Bootstrap
Recent observations with TeV telescopes strongly indicate that young supernova remnants are capable of accelerating cosmic ray protons almost to PeV energies. On quite general grounds, this, in turn, suggests that the magnetic field strength must be enhanced above the standard interstellar value by about two orders of magnitude. It is suggested that protons and electrons are accelerated through diffusive shock acceleration, with the highest energy protons streaming furthest ahead of the shock front. It is then shown that the pressure of the {approx} 300TeV protons dominates that of the ambient thermal particles and magnetic field and is likely to be sufficiently anisotropic to render the pre-shock fluid unstable to resonant and non-resonant instability. A new theory of the non-resonant instabilities is outlined. The nonlinear evolution of these instabilities requires careful numerical simulation but it is conjectured that the magnetic field is amplified in this location and provides the means for efficient acceleration of progressively lower energy particles as it is convected towards the subshock in the thermal plasma. Further possible implications of these ideas are sketched.
- Research Organization:
- SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76SF00515
- OSTI ID:
- 917733
- Report Number(s):
- SLAC-PUB-12873; TRN: US0805108
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conf.Proc.921:62-64,2007, Conference: Prepared for 1st GLAST Symposium, Stanford, Palo Alto, 5-8 Feb 2007
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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