2008/02/29 by Uri Keshet, Boaz Katz, Anatoly Spitkovsky +1 · 7 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena #Electron #Field (mathematics) #Flux (metallurgy) #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #Magnetic field #Magnetic flux #Magnetization #Mechanics #Nuclear physics #Physics #Plasma #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Quantum mechanics #Relativistic particle #Shock (circulatory) #Shock wave #astro-ph #physics.plasm-ph #physics.space-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/0004-637x/693/2/l127
published as Astrophys.J.693:L127-L130,2009; Astrophys.J.Lett.693:L127-L130,2009 · ApJ Letters, published (minor corrections, results unchanged)
openalex publication_date 2009/02/20 · arxiv created 2009/03/09 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We study relativistic unmagnetized collisionless shocks using unprecedentedly large particle-in-cell simulations of two-dimensional pair plasma. High-energy particles accelerated by the shock are found to drive magnetic field evolution on a timescale ≳10 4 plasma times. Progressively stronger magnetic fields are generated on larger scales in a growing region around the shock. Shock-generated magnetic fields and accelerated particles carry ≳1% and ≳10% of the downstream energy flux, respectively. Our results suggest limits on the magnetization of relativistic astrophysical flows.