Distributions of particles accelerated by strong Alfvénic turbulence
Fuente:
arXiv
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866918480050126848 |
|---|---|
| author | Boldyrev, Stanislav Humphrey, Daniel Roytershteyn, Vadim |
| author_facet | Boldyrev, Stanislav Humphrey, Daniel Roytershteyn, Vadim |
| contents | This work presents a model for generating nonthermal power-law tails of particles' energy probability density functions in turbulent collisionless plasmas, applicable to both non-relativistic and relativistic scenarios. We propose that strong Alfvénic turbulence energizes plasma particles through curvature acceleration, particularly for particles with Larmor radii comparable to the scales of turbulence. When the energy density of the energized particles increases, the efficiency of the energy exchange process diminishes. As a result, the acceleration process saturates, leading to power-law distributions of particle momentum and energy. In the non-relativistic case, the momentum probability density function scales as $f(p) dp \propto p^{-3} dp $, while in the ultrarelativistic case, the energy probability density function scales as $ f(γ) dγ\propto γ^{-3} dγ$. This model provides a unified framework for understanding particle acceleration in both energy regimes, complementing existing analytical approaches. Its predictions are consistent with available observations of energetic ion distributions in the heliosphere and with the findings from numerical simulations of ultrarelativistic particle acceleration in magnetically dominated plasma turbulence. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_02219 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Distributions of particles accelerated by strong Alfvénic turbulence Boldyrev, Stanislav Humphrey, Daniel Roytershteyn, Vadim Plasma Physics High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena This work presents a model for generating nonthermal power-law tails of particles' energy probability density functions in turbulent collisionless plasmas, applicable to both non-relativistic and relativistic scenarios. We propose that strong Alfvénic turbulence energizes plasma particles through curvature acceleration, particularly for particles with Larmor radii comparable to the scales of turbulence. When the energy density of the energized particles increases, the efficiency of the energy exchange process diminishes. As a result, the acceleration process saturates, leading to power-law distributions of particle momentum and energy. In the non-relativistic case, the momentum probability density function scales as $f(p) dp \propto p^{-3} dp $, while in the ultrarelativistic case, the energy probability density function scales as $ f(γ) dγ\propto γ^{-3} dγ$. This model provides a unified framework for understanding particle acceleration in both energy regimes, complementing existing analytical approaches. Its predictions are consistent with available observations of energetic ion distributions in the heliosphere and with the findings from numerical simulations of ultrarelativistic particle acceleration in magnetically dominated plasma turbulence. |
| title | Distributions of particles accelerated by strong Alfvénic turbulence |
| topic | Plasma Physics High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.02219 |