No Arabic abstract
Synchrotron radio emission from non-relativistic jets powered by massive protostars has been reported, indicating the presence of relativistic electrons and magnetic fields of strength ~0.3-5 mG. We study diffusive shock acceleration and magnetic field amplification in protostellar jets with speeds between 300 and 1500 km/s. We show that the magnetic field in the synchrotron emitter can be amplified by the non-resonant hybrid (Bell) instability excited by the cosmic-ray streaming. By combining the synchrotron data with basic theory of Bell instability we estimate the magnetic field in the synchrotron emitter and the maximum energy of protons. Protons can achieve maximum energies in the range 0.04-0.65 TeV and emit gamma rays in their interaction with matter fields. We predict detectable levels of gamma rays in IRAS 16547-5247 and IRAS 16848-4603. The gamma ray flux can be significantly enhanced by the gas mixing due to Rayleigh-Taylor instability. The detection of this radiation by the Fermi satellite in the GeV domain and the forthcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array at higher energies may open a new window to study the formation of massive stars, as well as diffusive acceleration and magnetic field amplification in shocks with velocities of about 1000 km/s.
We model the multi-wavelength emission in the southern hotspot of the radio quasar 4C74.26. The synchrotron radio emission is resolved near the shock with the MERLIN radio-interferometer, and the rapid decay of this emission behind the shock is interpreted as the decay of the amplified downstream magnetic field as expected for small scale turbulence. Electrons are accelerated to only 0.3 TeV, consistent with a diffusion coefficient many orders of magnitude greater than in the Bohm regime. If the same diffusion coefficient applies to the protons, their maximum energy is only ~100 TeV.
We briefly discuss models of energetic particle acceleration by supernova shock in active starforming regions at different stages of their evolution. Strong shocks may strongly amplify magnetic fields due to cosmic ray driven instabilities. We discuss the magnetic field amplification emphasizing the role of the long-wavelength instabilities. Supernova shock propagating in the vicinity of a powerful stellar wind in a young stellar cluster is argued to increase the maximal CR energies at a given evolution stage of supernova remnant (SNR) and can convert a sizeable fraction of the kinetic energy release into energetic particles.
It has been suggested that relativistic shocks in extragalactic sources may accelerate the most energetic cosmic rays. However, recent theoretical advances indicating that relativistic shocks are probably unable to accelerate particles to energies much larger than a PeV cast doubt on this. In the present contribution we model the radio to X-ray emission in the southern hotspot of the quasar 4C74.26. The synchrotron radio emission is resolved near the shock with the MERLIN radio-interferometer, and the rapid decay of this emission behind the shock is interpreted as the decay of the downstream magnetic field as expected for small scale turbulence. If our result is confirmed by analyses of other radiogalaxies, it provides firm observational evidence that relativistic shocks at the termination region of powerful jets in FR II radiogalaxies do not accelerate ultra high energy cosmic rays.
In this chapter, we review some features of particle acceleration in astrophysical jets. We begin by describing four observational results relating to the topic, with particular emphasis on jets in active galactic nuclei and parallels between different sources. We then discuss the ways in which particles can be accelerated to high energies in magnetised plasmas, focusing mainly on shock acceleration, second-order Fermi and magnetic reconnection; in the process, we attempt to shed some light on the basic conditions that must be met by any mechanism for the various observational constraints to be satisfied. We describe the limiting factors for the maximum particle energy and briefly discuss multimessenger signals from neutrinos and ultrahigh energy cosmic rays, before describing the journey of jet plasma from jet launch to cocoon with reference to the different acceleration mechanisms. We conclude with some general comments on the future outlook.
Particle acceleration to suprathermal energies in strong astrophysical shock waves is a widespread phenomenon, generally explained by diffusive shock acceleration. Such shocks can also amplify upstream magnetic field considerably beyond simple compression. The complex plasma physics processes involved are often parameterized by assuming that shocks put some fraction $epsilon_e$ of their energy into fast particles, and another fraction $epsilon_B$ into magnetic field. Modelers of shocks in supernovae, supernova remnants, and gamma-ray bursters, among other locations, often assume typical values for these fractions, presumed to remain constant in time. However, it is rare that enough properties of a source are independently constrained that values of the epsilons can be inferred directly. Supernova remnants (SNRs) can provide such circumstances. Here we summarize results from global fits to spatially integrated emission in six young SNRs, finding $10^{-4} le epsilon_e le 0.05$ and $0.001 le epsilon_B le 0.1$. These large variations might be put down to the differing ages and environments of these SNRs, so we conduct a detailed analysis of a single remnant, that of Keplers supernova. Both epsilons can be determined at seven different locations around the shock, and we find even larger ranges for both epsilons, as well as for their ratio (thus independent of the shock energy itself). We conclude that unknown factors have a large influence on the efficiency of both processes. Shock obliquity, upstream neutral fraction, or other possibilities need to be explored, while calculations assuming fixed values of the epsilons should be regarded as provisional.