Open AccessInterpenetrating Plasma Shells: Near-Equipartition Magnetic Field Generation and Nonthermal Particle Acceleration
Author(s) -
L. O. Silva,
Ricardo Fonseca,
J. Tonge,
J. M. Dawson,
W. B. Mori,
Mikhail V. Medvedev
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
the astrophysical journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.376
H-Index - 489
eISSN - 1538-4357
pISSN - 0004-637X
DOI - 10.1086/379156
Subject(s) - physics , equipartition theorem , particle acceleration , magnetic field , relativistic particle , plasma , particle in cell , kinetic energy , particle (ecology) , acceleration , pulsar , relativistic plasma , computational physics , astrophysics , electron , nuclear physics , classical mechanics , quantum mechanics , oceanography , geology
We present the first three-dimensional fully kinetic electromagneticrelativistic particle-in-cell simulations of the collision of twointerpenetrating plasma shells. The highly accurate plasma-kinetic"particle-in-cell" (with the total of $10^8$ particles) parallel code OSIRIShas been used. Our simulations show: (i) the generation of long-livednear-equipartition (electro)magnetic fields, (ii) non-thermal particleacceleration, and (iii) short-scale to long-scale magnetic field evolution, inthe collision region. Our results provide new insights into the magnetic fieldgeneration and particle acceleration in relativistic and sub-relativisticcolliding streams of particles, which are present in gamma-ray bursters,supernova remnants, relativistic jets, pulsar winds, etc..Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures (jpg), accepted for publication in ApJLet
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