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Transient electron dynamics near the interface of counterstreaming plasmas atthe onset of a relativistic collisionless shock (RCS) is investigated usingparticle-in-cell simulations. We identify a slingshot-like injection processinduced by the drifting electric field sustained by the flowing focus ofbackwards-moving electrons, which is distinct from the well-known stochasticacceleration. The flowing focus signifies the plasma kinetic transition from apreturbulent laminar motion to a chaotic turbulence. We find a characteristiccorrelation between the electron dynamics in the slingshot acceleration and thephoton emission features. In particular, the integrated radiation from the RCSexhibits a counterintuitive non-monotonic dependence of the photon polarizationdegree on the photon energy, which originates from a polarization degradationof relatively high-energy photons emitted by the slingshot-injected electrons.Our results demonstrate the potential of photon polarization as an essentialinformation source in exploring intricate transient dynamics in RCSs withrelevance for earth-based plasma and astrophysical scenarios.

Electron slingshot acceleration in relativistic preturbulent shocks explored via emitted photon polarization