1,942 research outputs found
Vortical amplification of magnetic field at inward shock of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A
We present an interpretation of the time variability of the -ray flux
recently reported from a multi-epoch campaign of years observations of the
supernova remnant Cassiopeia A by {\it Chandra}. We show for the first time
quantitatively that the keV non-thermal flux increase up to
traces the growth of the magnetic field due to vortical amplification mechanism
at a reflection inward shock colliding with inner overdensities. The fast
synchrotron cooling as compared with shock-acceleration time scale
qualitatively supports the flux decrease.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, PRL in pres
ENERGETIC PARTICLE DIFFUSION IN CRITICALLY BALANCED TURBULENCE
Observations and modeling suggest that the fluctuations in magnetized plasmas exhibit scale-dependent anisotropy, with more energy in the fluctuations perpendicular to the mean magnetic field than in the parallel fluctuations and the anisotropy increasing at smaller scales. The scale dependence of the anisotropy has not been studied in full-orbit simulations of particle transport in turbulent plasmas so far. In this paper, we construct a model of critically balanced turbulence, as suggested by Goldreich & Sridhar, and calculate energetic particle spatial diffusion coefficients using full-orbit simulations. The model uses an enveloped turbulence approach, where each two-dimensional wave mode with wavenumber k ⊥ is packed into envelopes of length L following the critical balance condition, Lk –2/3 ⊥, with the wave mode parameters changing between envelopes. Using full-orbit particle simulations, we find that both the parallel and perpendicular diffusion coefficients increase by a factor of two, compared to previous models with scale-independent anisotropy
Solar energetic particle access to distant longitudes through turbulent field-line meandering
Context. Current solar energetic particle (SEP) propagation models describe the effects of interplanetary plasma turbulence on SEPs as diffusion, using a Fokker-Planck (FP) equation. However, FP models cannot explain the observed fast access of SEPs across the average magnetic field to regions that are widely separated in longitude within the heliosphere without using unrealistically strong cross-field diffusion.
Aims. We study whether the recently suggested early non-diffusive phase of SEP propagation can explain the wide SEP events with realistic particle transport parameters.
Methods. We used a novel model that accounts for the SEP propagation along field lines that meander as a result of plasma turbulence. Such a non-diffusive propagation mode has been shown to dominate the SEP cross-field propagation early in the SEP event history. We compare the new model to the traditional approach, and to SEP observations.
Results. Using the new model, we reproduce the observed longitudinal extent of SEP peak fluxes that are characterised by a Gaussian profile with σ = 30 − 50◦ , while current diffusion theory can only explain extents of 11◦ with realistic diffusion coefficients. Our model also reproduces the timing of SEP arrival at distant longitudes, which cannot be explained using the diffusion model.
Conclusions. The early onset of SEPs over a wide range of longitudes can be understood as a result of the effects of magnetic fieldline random walk in the interplanetary medium and requires an SEP transport model that properly describes the non-diffusive early phase of SEP cross-field propagation
Injection of thermal and suprathermal seed particles into coronal shocks of varying obliquity
Context.
Diffusive shock acceleration in the solar corona can accelerate solar energetic particles to very high energies. Acceleration
efficiency is increased by entrapment through self-generated waves, which is highly dependent on the amount of accelerated particles. This, in turn, is determined by the efficiency of particle injection into the acceleration process.
Aims.
We present an analysis of the injection efficiency at coronal shocks of varying obliquity.We assessed injection through reflection and downstream scattering, including the effect of a cross-shock potential. Both quasi-thermal and suprathermal seed populations were analysed. We present results on the effect of cross-field diffusion downstream of the shock on the injection efficiency.
Methods.
Using analytical methods, we present applicable injection speed thresholds that were compared with both semi-analytical flux integration and Monte Carlo simulations, which do not resort to binary thresholds. Shock-normal angle θBn and shock-normal velocity Vs were varied to assess the injection efficiency with respect to these parameters.
Results.
We present evidence of a significant bias of thermal seed particle injection at small shock-normal angles. We show that downstream isotropisation methods affect the θBn-dependence of this result. We show a non-negligible effect caused by the crossshock potential, and that the effect of downstream cross-field diffusion is highly dependent on boundary definitions.
Conclusions.
Our results show that for Monte Carlo simulations of coronal shock acceleration a full distribution function assessment with downstream isotropisation through scatterings is necessary to realistically model particle injection. Based on our results, seed particle injection at quasi-parallel coronal shocks can result in significant acceleration efficiency, especially when combined with varying field-line geometry
Turbulent magnetic field amplification driven by cosmic-ray pressure gradients
Observations of non-thermal emission from several supernova remnants suggest
that magnetic fields close to the blastwave are much stronger than would be
naively expected from simple shock compression of the field permeating the
interstellar medium (ISM).
We present a simple model which is capable of achieving sufficient magnetic
field amplification to explain the observations. We propose that the cosmic-ray
pressure gradient acting on the inhomogeneous ISM upstream of the supernova
blastwave induces strong turbulence upstream of the supernova blastwave. The
turbulence is generated through the differential acceleration of the upstream
ISM which occurs as a result of density inhomogeneities in the ISM. This
turbulence then amplifies the pre-existing magnetic field.
Numerical simulations are presented which demonstrate that amplification
factors of 20 or more are easily achievable by this mechanism when reasonable
parameters for the ISM and supernova blastwave are assumed. The length scale
over which this amplification occurs is that of the diffusion length of the
highest energy non-thermal particles.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, 1 Table. Accepted for publication in MNRAS,
modified following referee comments and references adde
Turbulence-induced magnetic fields and the structure of Cosmic Ray modified shocks
We propose a model for Diffusive Shock Acceleration (DSA) in which stochastic
magnetic fields in the shock precursor are generated through purely fluid
mechanisms of a so-called small-scale dynamo. This contrasts with previous DSA
models that considered magnetic fields amplified through cosmic ray streaming
instabilities; i.e., either by way of individual particles resonant scattering
in the magnetic fields, or by macroscopic electric currents associated with
large-scale cosmic ray streaming. Instead, in our picture, the solenoidal
velocity perturbations that are required for the dynamo to work are produced
through the interactions of the pressure gradient of the cosmic ray precursor
and density perturbations in the inflowing fluid. Our estimates show that this
mechanism provides fast growth of magnetic field and is very generic. We argue
that for supernovae shocks the mechanism is capable of generating upstream
magnetic fields that are sufficiently strong for accelerating cosmic rays up to
around 10^16 eV. No action of any other mechanism is necessary.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, ApJ accepte
Early propagation of energetic particles across the mean field in turbulent plasmas
Propagation of energetic particles across the mean field direction in turbulent magnetic fields is often described as spatial diffusion. Recently, it has been suggested that initially the particles prop- agate systematically along meandering field lines, and only later reach the time-asymptotic diffusive cross-field propagation. In this paper, we analyse cross-field propagation of 1–100 MeV protons in composite 2D-slab turbulence superposed on a constant background magnetic field, using full-orbit particle simulations, to study the non-diffusive phase of particle propagation with a wide range of turbulence parameters. We show that the early-time non-diffusive propagation of the particles is consistent with particle propagation along turbulently meandering field lines. This results in a wide cross-field extent of the particles already at the initial arrival of particles to a given distance along the mean field direction, unlike when using spatial diffusion particle transport models. The cross-field extent of the particle distribution remains constant for up to tens of hours in turbulence environ- ment consistent with the inner heliosphere during solar energetic particle events. Subsequently, the particles escape from their initial meandering field lines, and the particle propagation across the mean field reaches time-asymptotic diffusion. Our analysis shows that in order to understand so- lar energetic particle event origins, particle transport modelling must include non-diffusive particle propagation along meandering field lines.
Key words: Sun: particle emission – diffusion – magnetic fields – turbulenc
On the escape of cosmic rays from radio galaxy cocoons
(Abridged) A model for the escape of CR particles from radio galaxy cocoons
is presented here. It is assumed that the radio cocoon is poorly magnetically
connected to the environment. An extreme case of this kind is an insulating
boundary layer of magnetic fields, which can efficiently suppress particle
escape. More likely, magnetic field lines are less organised and allow the
transport of CR particles from the source interior to the surface region. For
such a scenario two transport regimes are analysed: diffusion of particles
along inter-phase magnetic flux tubes (leaving the cocoon) and cross field
transport of particles in flux tubes touching the cocoon surface. The cross
field diffusion is likely the dominate escape path, unless a significant
fraction of the surface is magnetically connected to the environment. Major
cluster merger should strongly enhance the particle escape by two complementary
mechanisms. i) The merger shock waves shred radio cocoons into filamentary
structures, allowing the CRs to easily reach the radio cocoon boundary due to
the changed morphology. ii) Also efficient particle losses can be expected for
radio cocoons not compressed in shock waves. There, for a short period after
the sudden injection of large scale turbulence, the (anomalous) cross field
diffusion can be enhanced by several orders of magnitude. This lasts until the
turbulent energy cascade has reached the microscopic scales, which determine
the value of the microscopic diffusion coefficients.Comment: A&A in press, 12 pages, 5 figures, minor language improvement
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