Electron slingshot acceleration in relativistic preturbulent shocks explored via emitted photon polarization
arXiv:2307.00876 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.225101
Abstract
Transient electron dynamics near the interface of counterstreaming plasmas at the onset of a relativistic collisionless shock (RCS) is investigated using particle-in-cell simulations. We identify a slingshot-like injection process induced by the drifting electric field sustained by the flowing focus of backwards-moving electrons, which is distinct from the well-known stochastic acceleration. The flowing focus signifies the plasma kinetic transition from a preturbulent laminar motion to a chaotic turbulence. We find a characteristic correlation between the electron dynamics in the slingshot acceleration and the photon emission features. In particular, the integrated radiation from the RCS exhibits a counterintuitive non-monotonic dependence of the photon polarization degree on the photon energy, which originates from a polarization degradation of relatively high-energy photons emitted by the slingshot-injected electrons. Our results demonstrate the potential of photon polarization as an essential information source in exploring intricate transient dynamics in RCSs with relevance for earth-based plasma and astrophysical scenarios.
arXiv comment8 pages, 5 figures
References in corpus (57)
- The Physics of Gamma-Ray Bursts
- The Supernova -- Gamma-Ray Burst Connection
- Generation of Magnetic Fields in the Relativistic Shock of Gamma-Ray-Burst Sources
- First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results. VIII. Magnetic Field Structure near The Event Horizon
- Particle acceleration in relativistic collisionless shocks: Fermi process at last?
- The Maximum Energy of Accelerated Particles in Relativistic Collisionless Shocks
- Interpenetrating plasma shells: near-equipartition magnetic field generation and non-thermal particle acceleration
- Modelling Gamma Ray Emission and Pair Production in High-Intensity Laser-Matter Interactions
- A Kilonova Following a Long-Duration Gamma-Ray Burst at 350 Mpc
- QED cascades induced by circularly polarized laser fields
- On the structure of relativistic collisionless shocks in electron-ion plasmas
- Observation of magnetic field generation via the Weibel instability in interpenetrating plasma flows
- A nearby long gamma-ray burst from a merger of compact objects
- The microphysics of collisionless shock waves
- Extended PIC schemes for physics in ultra-strong laser fields: review and developments
- A long-duration gamma-ray burst with a peculiar origin
- Monte Carlo calculations of pair production in high-intensity laser-plasma interactions
- Laser-driven shock acceleration of monoenergetic ion beams
- Particle Acceleration in Relativistic Plasma Turbulence
- Relativistic Shocks: Particle Acceleration and Magnetization
- Filamentation instability of counter-streaming laser-driven plasmas
- Characterization of the initial filamentation of a relativistic electron beam passing through a plasma
- Stochastic Acceleration by Turbulence
- New physics from the polarised light of the cosmic microwave background
- Relativistic Jets in Active Galactic Nuclei und Microquasars
- Multi-Messenger Astrophysics
- Weibel-instability-mediated collisionless shocks in laboratory with ultraintense lasers
- GRB Phenomenology, Shock Dynamo, and the First Magnetic Fields
- Kinetic turbulence in relativistic plasma: from thermal bath to non-thermal continuum
- Synthetic Spectra from PIC Simulations of Relativistic Collisionless Shocks
- Exact relativistic kinetic theory of an electron beam-plasma system: hierarchy of the competing modes in the system parameter space
- Electron and ion energization in relativistic plasma turbulence
- The theory of pulsar winds and nebulae
- Radiation Front Sweeping the Ambient Medium of Gamma-Ray Bursts
- Electron Surfing and Drift Accelerations in a Weibel-dominated High-Mach-number Shock
- Relativistic Winds from Compact Gamma-Ray Sources: II. Pair Loading and Radiative Acceleration in Gamma-ray Bursts
- GeV emission from a compact binary merger
- Coherent Electromagnetic Emission from Relativistic Magnetized Shocks
- Electron-Positron Pair Cascades and Precursors in Gamma-Ray Bursts
- Physics of Weibel-mediated relativistic collisionless shocks
- 3D modeling of collisionless shocks
- The Cosmic Ray Precursor of Relativistic Collisionless Shocks: A Missing Link in Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows
- Magnetic field amplification by the Weibel instability at planetary and astrophysical high-Mach-number shocks
- Particle transport and heating in the microturbulent precursor of relativistic shocks
- Pitch Angle Anisotropy Controls Particle Acceleration and Cooling in Radiative Relativistic Plasma Turbulence
- Polarization Signatures of Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamic Shocks in the Blazar Emission Region - I. Force-free Helical Magnetic Fields
- First-principles Fermi acceleration in magnetized turbulence
- On the Spectrum of Electrons Accelerated in Supernova Remnants
- Electron polarization in ultrarelativistic plasma current filamentation instabilities
- Magnetic field amplification by a nonlinear electron streaming instability
- Evidence for PeV Proton Acceleration from Fermi-LAT Observations of SNR G106.3+2.7
- Radiation Pressure Driven Ion Weibel Instability and Collisionless Shocks
- Physics to plan AWAKE Run 2
- Efficient electron heating in relativistic shocks and gamma ray burst afterglow
- Origin of intense electron heating in relativistic blast waves
- Magnetic field amplification by a plasma cavitation instability in relativistic shock precursors
- Deciphering in situ electron dynamics of ultrarelativistic plasma via polarization pattern of emitted gamma photons