Open AccessEffects of mirror reflection versus diffusion anisotropy on particle acceleration in oblique shocks
Author(s) -
Honda Y. S.,
Honda M.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.09322.x
Subject(s) - physics , shock (circulatory) , acceleration , diffusion , particle acceleration , reflection (computer programming) , oblique shock , magnetic field , anisotropy , shock wave , computational physics , mechanics , oblique case , perpendicular , optics , astrophysics , classical mechanics , geometry , medicine , linguistics , philosophy , mathematics , quantum mechanics , computer science , thermodynamics , programming language
Cosmic ray particles are more rapidly accelerated in oblique shocks, with the magnetic field inclined with respect to the shock normal direction, than in parallel shocks, as a result of mirror reflection at the shock surface and slower diffusion in the shock normal direction. We investigate quantitatively how these effects contribute to reducing the acceleration time over the whole range of magnetic field inclinations. It is shown that, for quasi‐perpendicular inclination, the mirror effect plays a remarkable role in reducing the acceleration time; whereas, at relatively small inclination, the anisotropic diffusion effect is dominant in reducing that time. These results are important for a detailed understanding of the mechanism of particle acceleration by an oblique shock in space and heliospheric plasmas.