Particle acceleration in relativistic Alfvénic turbulence

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Vega, Cristian, Boldyrev, Stanislav, Roytershteyn, Vadim
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2024
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author Vega, Cristian
Boldyrev, Stanislav
Roytershteyn, Vadim
author_facet Vega, Cristian
Boldyrev, Stanislav
Roytershteyn, Vadim
contents Strong magnetically dominated Alfvénic turbulence is an efficient engine of non-thermal particle acceleration in a relativistic collisionless plasma. We argue that in the limit of strong magnetization, the type of energy distribution attained by accelerated particles depends on the relative strengths of turbulent fluctuations $δB_0$ and the guide field $B_0$. If $δB_0\ll B_0$, the particle magnetic moments are conserved and the acceleration is provided by magnetic curvature drifts. Curvature acceleration energizes particles in the direction parallel to the magnetic field lines, resulting in log-normal tails of particle energy distribution functions. Conversely, if $δB_0 \gtrsim B_0$, interactions of energetic particles with intense turbulent structures can scatter particles, creating a population with large pitch angles. In this case, magnetic mirror effects become important, and turbulent acceleration leads to power-law tails of the energy distribution functions.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2405_07891
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Particle acceleration in relativistic Alfvénic turbulence
Vega, Cristian
Boldyrev, Stanislav
Roytershteyn, Vadim
Plasma Physics
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Strong magnetically dominated Alfvénic turbulence is an efficient engine of non-thermal particle acceleration in a relativistic collisionless plasma. We argue that in the limit of strong magnetization, the type of energy distribution attained by accelerated particles depends on the relative strengths of turbulent fluctuations $δB_0$ and the guide field $B_0$. If $δB_0\ll B_0$, the particle magnetic moments are conserved and the acceleration is provided by magnetic curvature drifts. Curvature acceleration energizes particles in the direction parallel to the magnetic field lines, resulting in log-normal tails of particle energy distribution functions. Conversely, if $δB_0 \gtrsim B_0$, interactions of energetic particles with intense turbulent structures can scatter particles, creating a population with large pitch angles. In this case, magnetic mirror effects become important, and turbulent acceleration leads to power-law tails of the energy distribution functions.
title Particle acceleration in relativistic Alfvénic turbulence
topic Plasma Physics
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.07891