Electron acceleration in laboratory-produced turbulent collisionless shocks
Astrophysical collisionless shocks are among the most powerful particle accelerators in the Universe. Generated by violent interactions of supersonic plasma flows with the interstellar medium, supernova remnant shocks are observed to amplify magnetic fields and accelerate electrons and protons to hi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Springer Nature
2020
|
| _version_ | 1797075161983221760 |
|---|---|
| author | Swadling, GF Grassi, A Rinderknecht, H Higginson, DP Ryutov, DD Bruulsema, C Drake, RP Funk, S Glenzer, S Gregori, G Li, CK Pollock, BB Remington, BA Ross, JS Rozmus Sakawa, Y Spitkovsky, A Wilks, S Park |
| author_facet | Swadling, GF Grassi, A Rinderknecht, H Higginson, DP Ryutov, DD Bruulsema, C Drake, RP Funk, S Glenzer, S Gregori, G Li, CK Pollock, BB Remington, BA Ross, JS Rozmus Sakawa, Y Spitkovsky, A Wilks, S Park |
| author_sort | Swadling, GF |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | Astrophysical collisionless shocks are among the most powerful particle accelerators in the Universe. Generated by violent interactions of supersonic plasma flows with the interstellar medium, supernova remnant shocks are observed to amplify magnetic fields and accelerate electrons and protons to highly relativistic speeds. In the well-established model of diffusive shock acceleration, relativistic particles are accelerated by repeated shock crossings. However, this requires a separate mechanism that pre-accelerates particles to enable shock crossing. This is known as the ‘injection problem’, which is particularly relevant for electrons, and remains one of the most important puzzles in shock acceleration. In most astrophysical shocks, the details of the shock structure cannot be directly resolved, making it challenging to identify the injection mechanism. Here we report results from laser-driven plasma flow experiments, and related simulations, that probe the formation of turbulent collisionless shocks in conditions relevant to young supernova remnants. We show that electrons can be effectively accelerated in a first-order Fermi process by small-scale turbulence produced within the shock transition to relativistic non-thermal energies, helping overcome the injection problem. Our observations provide new insight into electron injection at shocks and open the way for controlled laboratory studies of the physics underlying cosmic accelerators. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T23:46:26Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:71123539-a336-47d8-a2a9-44575f82643a |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-06T23:46:26Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:71123539-a336-47d8-a2a9-44575f82643a2022-03-26T19:41:27ZElectron acceleration in laboratory-produced turbulent collisionless shocksJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_545buuid:71123539-a336-47d8-a2a9-44575f82643aEnglishSymplectic ElementsSpringer Nature2020Swadling, GFGrassi, ARinderknecht, HHigginson, DPRyutov, DDBruulsema, CDrake, RPFunk, SGlenzer, SGregori, GLi, CKPollock, BBRemington, BARoss, JSRozmusSakawa, YSpitkovsky, AWilks, SParkAstrophysical collisionless shocks are among the most powerful particle accelerators in the Universe. Generated by violent interactions of supersonic plasma flows with the interstellar medium, supernova remnant shocks are observed to amplify magnetic fields and accelerate electrons and protons to highly relativistic speeds. In the well-established model of diffusive shock acceleration, relativistic particles are accelerated by repeated shock crossings. However, this requires a separate mechanism that pre-accelerates particles to enable shock crossing. This is known as the ‘injection problem’, which is particularly relevant for electrons, and remains one of the most important puzzles in shock acceleration. In most astrophysical shocks, the details of the shock structure cannot be directly resolved, making it challenging to identify the injection mechanism. Here we report results from laser-driven plasma flow experiments, and related simulations, that probe the formation of turbulent collisionless shocks in conditions relevant to young supernova remnants. We show that electrons can be effectively accelerated in a first-order Fermi process by small-scale turbulence produced within the shock transition to relativistic non-thermal energies, helping overcome the injection problem. Our observations provide new insight into electron injection at shocks and open the way for controlled laboratory studies of the physics underlying cosmic accelerators. |
| spellingShingle | Swadling, GF Grassi, A Rinderknecht, H Higginson, DP Ryutov, DD Bruulsema, C Drake, RP Funk, S Glenzer, S Gregori, G Li, CK Pollock, BB Remington, BA Ross, JS Rozmus Sakawa, Y Spitkovsky, A Wilks, S Park Electron acceleration in laboratory-produced turbulent collisionless shocks |
| title | Electron acceleration in laboratory-produced turbulent collisionless shocks |
| title_full | Electron acceleration in laboratory-produced turbulent collisionless shocks |
| title_fullStr | Electron acceleration in laboratory-produced turbulent collisionless shocks |
| title_full_unstemmed | Electron acceleration in laboratory-produced turbulent collisionless shocks |
| title_short | Electron acceleration in laboratory-produced turbulent collisionless shocks |
| title_sort | electron acceleration in laboratory produced turbulent collisionless shocks |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT swadlinggf electronaccelerationinlaboratoryproducedturbulentcollisionlessshocks AT grassia electronaccelerationinlaboratoryproducedturbulentcollisionlessshocks AT rinderknechth electronaccelerationinlaboratoryproducedturbulentcollisionlessshocks AT higginsondp electronaccelerationinlaboratoryproducedturbulentcollisionlessshocks AT ryutovdd electronaccelerationinlaboratoryproducedturbulentcollisionlessshocks AT bruulsemac electronaccelerationinlaboratoryproducedturbulentcollisionlessshocks AT drakerp electronaccelerationinlaboratoryproducedturbulentcollisionlessshocks AT funks electronaccelerationinlaboratoryproducedturbulentcollisionlessshocks AT glenzers electronaccelerationinlaboratoryproducedturbulentcollisionlessshocks AT gregorig electronaccelerationinlaboratoryproducedturbulentcollisionlessshocks AT lick electronaccelerationinlaboratoryproducedturbulentcollisionlessshocks AT pollockbb electronaccelerationinlaboratoryproducedturbulentcollisionlessshocks AT remingtonba electronaccelerationinlaboratoryproducedturbulentcollisionlessshocks AT rossjs electronaccelerationinlaboratoryproducedturbulentcollisionlessshocks AT rozmus electronaccelerationinlaboratoryproducedturbulentcollisionlessshocks AT sakaway electronaccelerationinlaboratoryproducedturbulentcollisionlessshocks AT spitkovskya electronaccelerationinlaboratoryproducedturbulentcollisionlessshocks AT wilkss electronaccelerationinlaboratoryproducedturbulentcollisionlessshocks AT park electronaccelerationinlaboratoryproducedturbulentcollisionlessshocks |