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Main Authors: Bernardi, Dominic, Yuan, Yajie, Chen, Alexander Y.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.04175
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author Bernardi, Dominic
Yuan, Yajie
Chen, Alexander Y.
author_facet Bernardi, Dominic
Yuan, Yajie
Chen, Alexander Y.
contents Fast magnetosonic waves are one of the two low-frequency plasma modes that can exist in a neutron star magnetosphere. It was recently realized that these waves may become nonlinear within the magnetosphere and steepen into some of the strongest shocks in the universe. These shocks, when in the appropriate parameter regime, may emit GHz radiation in the form of precursor waves. We present the first global Particle-in-Cell simulations of the nonlinear steepening of fast magnetosonic waves in a dipolar magnetosphere, and quantitatively demonstrate the strong plasma acceleration in the upstream of these shocks. In these simulations, we observe the production of precursor waves in a finite angular range. Using analytic scaling relations, we predict the expected frequency, power, and duration of this emission. Within a reasonable range of progenitor wave parameters, these precursor waves can reproduce many aspects of FRB observations.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_04175
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Global Kinetic Simulations of Monster Shocks and Their Emission
Bernardi, Dominic
Yuan, Yajie
Chen, Alexander Y.
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Fast magnetosonic waves are one of the two low-frequency plasma modes that can exist in a neutron star magnetosphere. It was recently realized that these waves may become nonlinear within the magnetosphere and steepen into some of the strongest shocks in the universe. These shocks, when in the appropriate parameter regime, may emit GHz radiation in the form of precursor waves. We present the first global Particle-in-Cell simulations of the nonlinear steepening of fast magnetosonic waves in a dipolar magnetosphere, and quantitatively demonstrate the strong plasma acceleration in the upstream of these shocks. In these simulations, we observe the production of precursor waves in a finite angular range. Using analytic scaling relations, we predict the expected frequency, power, and duration of this emission. Within a reasonable range of progenitor wave parameters, these precursor waves can reproduce many aspects of FRB observations.
title Global Kinetic Simulations of Monster Shocks and Their Emission
topic High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.04175