Acceleration Mechanics in Relativistic Shocks by the Weibel Instability

Abstract

Plasma instabilities (e.g., Buneman, Weibel and other two-stream instabilities) created in collisionless shocks may be responsible for particle (electron, positron, and ion) acceleration. Using a 3-D relativistic electromagnetic particle (REMP) code, we have investigated long-term particle acceleration associated with relativistic electron-ion or electron-positron jet fronts propagating into an unmagnetized ambient electron-ion or electron-positron plasma. These simulations have been performed with a longer simulation system than our previous simulations in order to investigate the nonlinear stage of the Weibel instability and its particle acceleration mechanism. The current channels generated by the Weibel instability are surrounded by toroidal magnetic fields and radial electric fields. This radial electric field is quasi stationary and accelerates particles which are then deflected by the magnetic field.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ, A full resolution ot the paper can be found at http://gammaray.nsstc.nasa.gov/~nishikawa/accmec.pd