Relativistic Electron Research Articles

Search for radio halos in starburst galaxies

Context. Starburst galaxies are undergoing intense episodes of star formation. In these galaxies, gas is ejected into the surrounding environment through winds created by the effect of hot stars and supernova explosions. When interacting with the intergalactic medium, these winds can produce strong shocks capable of accelerating cosmic rays. The radiation from these cosmic rays mainly occurs in radio and gamma rays. The radio halo can be characterized using the scale height, which is an important parameter for understanding cosmic ray acceleration and transport. Aims. We searched for the presence of radio halos in a sample of edge-on starburst galaxies gathered from the MeerKAT 1.28 GHz Atlas of Southern Sources in the IRAS Revised Bright Galaxy Sample. The investigation of how the radio halos relate to the global properties of the galaxies can shed light on the understanding of the halo origin and the underlying cosmic ray population. Methods. We selected a sample of 25 galaxies with inclinations i > 80° from the original sample and modeled their disk and halo contributions. We determined the scale heights and the radio luminosity of the halos when detected. Results. We have detected and characterized 11 radio halos from a sample of 25 edge-on galaxies. Seven of them are reported here for the first time. The average radio scale height is ∼1 kpc. We found that the halo scale heights increase linearly with the radio diameters and this relation does not depend on the star formation rate. All galaxies in our sample follow the radio-infrared relation with a q parameter value of 2.5 ± 0.1. The halo luminosity linearly increases with the infrared luminosity and star formation rate. Conclusions. The dependence of the halo luminosity on the star formation rate and the infrared luminosity supports the hypothesis that the radio halos are the result of synchrotron radiation produced by relativistic electrons and points toward the fact that the star formation activity plays a crucial role in halo creation. The average scale height of 1 kpc implies a dynamical range of 4 Myr, several orders of magnitude greater than the synchrotron losses for electrons of 10 TeV. This suggests that some process must exist to reaccelerate cosmic rays in the halo if gamma-ray emission of a leptonic origin is detected from the halo. According to the relation between the radio and gamma-ray luminosities, we found that NGC 4666 is a potential gamma-ray source for future observations.

Observations of Relativistic Electron Precipitation Due To Combined Scattering of Whistler‐Mode and EMIC Waves

AbstractThe two most important wave modes responsible for energetic electron scattering to the Earth's ionosphere are electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves and whistler‐mode waves. These wave modes operate in different energy ranges: whistler‐mode waves are mostly effective in scattering sub‐relativistic electrons, whereas EMIC waves predominately scatter relativistic electrons. In this study, we report the direct observations of energetic electron (from 50 keV to 2.5 MeV) scattering driven by the combined effect of whistler‐mode and EMIC waves using ELFIN measurements. We analyze five events showing EMIC‐driven relativistic electron precipitation accompanied by bursts of whistler‐driven precipitation over a wide energy range. These events reveal an enhancement of relativistic electron precipitation by EMIC waves during intervals of whistler‐mode precipitation compared to intervals of EMIC‐only precipitation. We discuss a possible mechanism responsible for such precipitation. We suggest that below the minimum resonance energy (Emin) of EMIC waves, the whistler‐mode wave may both scatter electrons into the loss‐cone and accelerate them to higher energy (1–3 MeV). Electrons accelerated above Emin resonate with EMIC waves that, in turn, quickly scatter those electrons into the loss‐cone. This enhances relativistic electron precipitation beyond what EMIC waves alone could achieve. We present theoretical support for this mechanism, along with observational evidence from the ELFIN mission. We discuss methodologies for further observational investigations of this combined whistler‐mode and EMIC precipitation.

Non-thermal emission in M31 and M33

Context.Spiral galaxies M31 and M33 are among theγ-ray sources detected by theFermiLarge Area Telescope (LAT).Aims.We aim to model the broadband non-thermal emission of the central region of M31 (a LAT point source) and of the disk of M33 (a LAT extended source), as part of our continued survey of non-thermal properties of local galaxies that includes the Magellanic Clouds.Methods.We analysed the observed emission from the central region of M31 (R < 5.5 kpc) and the disk-sized emission from M33 (R ∼ 9 kpc). For each galaxy, we self-consistently modelled the broadband spectral energy distribution of the diffuse non-thermal emission based on published radio andγ-ray data. All relevant radiative processes involving relativistic and thermal electrons (synchrotron, Compton scattering, bremsstrahlung, and free–free emission and absorption), along with relativistic protons (π0decay following interaction with thermal protons), were considered, using exact emissivity formulae. We also used theFermi-LAT-validatedγ-ray emissivities for pulsars.Results.Joint spectral analyses of the emission from the central region of M31 and the extended disk of M33 indicate that the radio emission is composed of both primary and secondary electron synchrotron and thermal bremsstrahlung, whereas theγ-ray emission may be explained as a combination of diffuse pionic, pulsar, and nuclear-BH-related emissions in M31 and plain diffuse pionic emission (with an average proton energy density of 0.5 eV cm−3) in M33.Conclusions.The observedγ-ray emission from M33 appears to be mainly hadronic. This situation is similar to other local galaxies, namely, the Magellanic Clouds. In contrast, we have found suggestions of a more complex situation in the central region of M31, whose emission could be an admixture of pulsar emission and hadronic emission, with the latter possibly originating from both the disk and the vicinity of the nuclear black hole. The alternative modelling of the spectra of M31 and M33 is motivated by the different hydrogen distribution in the two galaxies: The hydrogen deficiency in the central region of M31 partially unveils emissions from the nuclear BH and the pulsar population in the bulge and inner disk. If this were to be the case in M33 as well, these emissions would be outshined by diffuse pionic emission originating within the flat central-peak gas distribution in M33.

Influence of the reflectivity of a crystal on the angular distribution of diffracted transition radiation of relativistic electrons

The influence of the angular profile of crystal reflectivity on the assessment of the divergence of a beam of relativistic electrons is studied through measurements of the angular distribution of diffracted transition radiation. The results show that, when the angular distribution of reflectivity is taken into account, the obtained divergence values are close to the true values. Failure to take this effect into account leads to systematic errors in determining the horizontal divergence. The magnitude of the error depends on the beam divergence and is inversely proportional to the square of the energy of the reflected photons.

Negative-energy longitudinal wave instability in the interaction of relativistic electron beam with ultra-relativistic hot plasma

Negative-energy longitudinal wave instability in the interaction of relativistic electron beam with ultra-relativistic hot plasma

Statistical Observations of Proton‐Band Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron Waves in the Outer Magnetosphere: Full Wavevector Determination

AbstractElectromagnetic Ion Cyclotron (EMIC) waves mediate energy transfer from the solar wind to the magnetosphere, relativistic electron precipitation, or thermalization of the ring current population, to name a few. How these processes take place depends on the wave properties, such as the wavevector and polarization. However, inferring the wavevector from in‐situ measurements is problematic since one needs to disentangle spatial and time variations. Using 8 years of Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission observations in the dayside magnetosphere, we present an algorithm to detect proton‐band EMIC waves in the Earth's dayside magnetosphere, and find that they are present roughly 15% of the time. Their normalized frequency presents a dawn‐dusk asymmetry, with waves in the dawn flank magnetosphere having larger frequency than in the dusk, subsolar, and dawn near subsolar region. It is shown that the observations are unstable to the ion cyclotron instability. We obtain the wave polarization and wavevector by comparing Single Value Decomposition and Ampere methods. We observe that for most waves the perpendicular wavenumber (k⊥) is larger than the inverse of the proton gyroradius (ρi), that is, k⊥ρi > 1, while the parallel wavenumber is smaller than the inverse of the ion gyroradius, that is, k‖ρi < 1. Left‐hand polarized waves are associated with small wave normal angles (θBk < 30°), while linearly polarized waves are associated with large wave normal angles (θBk > 30°). This work constitutes, to our knowledge, the first attempt to statistically infer the full wavevector of proton‐band EMIC waves observed in the outer magnetosphere.

Radio surface fluctuations in radio relics

Recent observations have revealed detailed structures of radio relics across a wide range of frequencies. In this work, we performed three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamical (3D MHD) simulations of merger shocks propagating through a turbulent magnetized intracluster medium. We then employed on-the-fly Lagrangian particles to explore the physical processes behind the origination of radio substructures and their appearance in high and low-frequency observations. We employed two cosmic-ray (CR) electron acceleration models, with a fresh injection of electrons from the thermal pool and the re-acceleration of mildly relativistic electrons. We used the relative surface brightness fluctuations, δSν, to define a “degree of patchiness.” First, we found that patchiness is produced if the shock’s surface has a distribution of Mach numbers, rather than a single Mach number. Second, radio relics appear patchier if the Mach number distribution consists of a large percentage of low Mach numbers (ℳ ≲ 2.5). Furthermore, as the frequency increases, the patchiness also becomes larger. Nevertheless, if radio relics are patchy at high frequencies (e.g., 18.6 GHz), they necessarily will also be patchy at low frequencies (e.g., 150 MHz). Then, to produce noticeable differences in the patchiness at low and high frequencies, the shock front should have a Mach number spread of σℳ ≳ 0.3 − 0.4. Finally, the extent of the patchiness depends on the Mach number distribution as well as the CR acceleration model. We propose δSν as a potential tool for extracting merger shock properties and information on particle acceleration processes at shocks in radio observations.

Abell 0399–Abell 0401 radio bridge spectral index: First multi-frequency detection

Aims. Recent low-frequency radio observations at 140 MHz discovered a bridge of diffuse emission with a length of 3 Mpc that connects the galaxy clusters Abell 0399 and Abell 0401. We present follow-up observations at 60 MHz to constrain the spectral index of the bridge, which has only been detected at 140 and 144 MHz so far. Methods. We analysed deep (∼18 h) LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) Low Band Antenna (LBA) data at 60 MHz to detect the bridge at very low frequencies. We then conducted a multi-frequency study with LOFAR HBA data at 144 MHz and uGMRT data at 400 MHz. Assuming second-order Fermi mechanisms for the re-acceleration of relativistic electrons driven by turbulence in the radio bridge regions, we compared the observed radio spectrum with theoretical synchrotron models. Results. The bridge is detected in the 75″ resolution LOFAR image at 60 MHz, and its emission fully connects the region between the two galaxy clusters. Between 60 MHz and 144 MHz, we found an integrated spectral index value of α60144 = −1.44 ± 0.16 for the bridge emission. For the first time, we produced spectral index and related uncertainties maps for a radio bridge. We produce a radio spectrum that shows a significant steepening between 144 and 400 MHz. Conclusions. This detection at low frequencies provides important information for models of particle acceleration and magnetic field structure on very extended scales. The spectral index gives important clues about the origin of inter-cluster diffuse emission. The steepening of the spectrum above 144 MHz can be explained in a turbulent re-acceleration framework, assuming that the acceleration timescales are longer than ∼200 Myr.

Rapid Acceleration Bursts in the Van Allen Radiation Belt

AbstractThe fast Van Allen radiation belt electron dynamics during geomagnetic storms have not yet been fully explained, in part due to limitations of standard satellite missions in both orbit and the number of spacecraft. Here we overcome these limitations using measurements from the Global Positioning System (GPS) constellation during an acceleration event on 26 August 2018. We show that the acceleration of relativistic electrons occurs in two distinct bursts, each dominated by a different acceleration mechanism. The first burst enhances the radiation belt electrons by four orders of magnitude in 2 hr and is consistent with ULF‐wave radial diffusion. The second burst is likely caused by the local acceleration and delivers an order‐of‐magnitude increase in 20 min. This work demonstrates how distributed, operational measurements can be used to resolve phenomena not observable with previous capabilities, and that rapid energization of the radiation belt can occur much faster than previously reported.

Tunable energy spectrum betatron x-ray sources in a plasma wakefield

Abstract X-ray sources with tunable energy spectra have a wide range of applications in different scenarios due to their different penetration depths. However, existing x-ray sources face difficulties in terms of energy regulation. In this paper, we present a scheme for tuning the energy spectrum of a betatron x-ray generated from a relativistic electron bunch oscillating in a plasma wakefield. The center energy of the x-ray source can be tuned from several keV to several hundred keV by changing the plasma density, thereby extending the control range by an order of magnitude. At different central energies, the brightness of the betatron radiation is in the range of 3.7 × 1022 to 5.5 × 1022 photons/(0.1%BW⋅s⋅mm2⋅mrad2) and the photon divergence angle is about 2 mrad. This high-brightness, energy-controlled betatron source could pave the way to a wide range of applications requiring photons of specific energy, such as phase-contrast imaging in medicine, non-destructive testing and material analysis in industry, and imaging in nuclear physics.

Observation of high-pressure polymorphs in bulk silicon formed at relativistic laser intensities

Silicon polymorphs with exotic electronic and optical properties have recently attracted significant attention due to their wide range of useful band gap characteristics. They are typically formed by static high-pressure techniques, which limits the crystal structures that can be made. This constitutes a major obstacle to study these polymorphs and their incorporation into existing technology. Approaches have attempted to address this shortcoming through using dynamic conditions and chemical precursor materials. Here, we report on an approach to create unusual crystal structures deep in the bulk of a silicon crystal by irradiating it with a laser pulse at ultrarelativistic intensity of up to 7.5×1019 W/cm2. Laser-generated electrons with MeV energy swiftly penetrate the target with speed close to the speed of light and deposit their energy into a large volume across the whole thickness of the sample. The relativistic electron current creates, via branching propagation and ionization, high-energy-density conditions for thermodynamically nonequilibrium phase transformation paths into new crystal polymorphs. X-ray microdiffraction and synchrotron x-ray diffraction analyses indicate, along with conventional dc-Si, the presence of exotic silicon structures in the bulk of the laser intact target volume. These structures are identified as body-centered bc8-Si, rhombohedral r8-Si, hexagonal-diamond hd-Si, and the tetragonal Si-VIII, all phases of Si that have previously been made through static techniques. Additionally, simple-tetragonal st12-Si and body-centered tetragonal bt8-Si were observed along with signatures of not yet identified diffraction spots. Both st12-Si and bt8-Si have only been observed in ultrafast laser microexplosion conditions at much lower laser intensity ∼1014 W/cm2 and within a micron-thin surface layer. The findings here are supported by direct observation of nanoparticles with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and corresponding fast Fourier transform analysis of their interatomic distances. The presented analyses of absorbed laser energy, generation of the MeV electron current, and deposition of energy across the whole target thickness provide a solid basis for drawing the conclusion that the observed silicon polymorphs were produced because of laser-generated high-energy electrons fast-penetrating deeply into the bulk of silicon. In contrast to solid-solid transformations, the plasma-solid transitions offer a paradigm for the creation of exotic, high-energy density materials inside the bulk of the sample by using laser pulses at relativistic intensities. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Europa's Influence on the Jovian Energetic Electron Environment as Observed by Juno's Micro Advanced Stellar Compass

AbstractThe micro Advanced Stellar Compass is an attitude reference for the MAG investigation onboard Juno. The μASC camera head unit images the star field with a CCD that is also sensitive to particles with enough energy to pass through the camera shielding: >15 MeV electrons and >80 MeV protons. This provides the capability to monitor fluxes of high‐energy particles in Jupiter’s magnetosphere. A survey of energetic electron fluxes sampled during the first 47 Juno orbits reveals instances of variations observed when Juno is traversing the M‐shell of the Galilean moons. Juno's traversal of the Europa M‐shell often results in distinctly particle signatures. We present the μASC observations of increased electron flux during the crossing of Europa’s plasma wake, and depletion of energetic electron flux on the upstream side. The upstream/downstream differences indicate that the wake environment of Europa drives strong pitch angle scattering on relativistic electrons.

Unveiling Energetic Particle Dynamics in the Near‐Earth Environment From CubeSat Missions

AbstractThe discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts marked a prominent milestone in space physics. Recent advances, through the measurements of two CubeSat missions, have shed new light on the dynamics of energetic particles in the near‐Earth environment. Measurements from CSSWE, a student‐led mission, revealed that the decay of low‐energy neutrons, associated with cosmic rays impacting the atmosphere, is the primary source of relativistic electrons at the inner edge of the inner belt (Li et al., Nature, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature2464). Recently CIRBE captured striking details of energetic electron dynamics (Li et al., GRL, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023gl107521), further demonstrating high‐quality science achievable with CubeSat missions.

Characterization of Relativistic Electron Precipitation Events Observed by the CALET Experiment Using Self‐Organizing‐Maps

AbstractRelativistic electron precipitation (REP) is a relatively high‐latitude phenomenon where high‐energy electrons trapped in the outer radiation belt are lost into the Earth’s atmosphere. REP events observed at low Earth orbit show varying temporal profiles and global distributions. While the precipitation origin has been attributed to specific wave modes or scattering sources, the sorting of REP events by type or driver remains an unsolved challenge. In this study, we analyze the temporal profile of relativistic electron precipitation events observed by the CALorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) experiment on board the International Space Station. We use an unsupervised machine learning technique called Self‐Organizing‐Maps (SOM) to automatically detect and then classify relativistic electron events observed by the two scintillator layers at the top of the apparatus, sensitive to electrons with energies >1.5 MeV and >3.4 MeV, respectively. We calculate the power spectral density (PSD) of the count rates observed by both sensors and use them as an input for the SOM. The SOM technique groups the PSDs by their similarity, resulting in a classification of relativistic electron events by the periodicity of the observed precipitation. We investigate the L‐shell and magnetic local time distribution of the resulting classification, and energy spectral index associated with the observations. Clear precipitation patterns are observed and compared to past precipitation categorization attempts as well as known distributions of various scattering mechanisms. The classification reveals features through the sorting of the variability of the rapid precipitation, allowing the identification of different precipitation populations with varying properties.

Light-Matter Interaction near the Schwinger Limit Using Tightly Focused Doppler-Boosted Lasers.

Strong-field quantum electrodynamics (SF QED) is a burgeoning research topic dealing with electromagnetic fields comparable to the Schwinger field (≈1.32×10^{18} V/m). While most past and proposed experiments rely on reaching this field in the rest frame of relativistic particles, the Schwinger limit could also be approached in the laboratory frame by focusing to its diffraction limit the light reflected by a plasma mirror irradiated by a multipetawatt laser. We explore the interaction between such intense light and matter with particle-in-cell simulations. We find that the collision with a relativistic electron beam would enable the study of the nonperturbative regime of SF QED, while the interaction with a solid target leads to a profusion of SF QED effects that retroact on the interaction. In both cases, relativistic attosecond pair jets with high densities are formed.

Clusters of Compact Intracloud Discharges (CIDs) in Overshooting Convective Surges

AbstractWe observed five clusters of upper‐level compact intracloud discharges (CIDs) moving positive charge up over land and over water in Florida. The clusters each contained 3 to 6 CIDs, and the overall cluster duration ranged from 27 to 58 s. On average, the CIDs in a given cluster occurred 11 s apart and were separated by a 3D distance of about 1.5 km. All the clustered CIDs were located above the tropopause and were likely associated with convective surges that penetrated the stratosphere. The average periodicity of CID occurrence within a cluster (every 11 s) was comparable to the periodicity at which the average cluster area is expected to be bombarded by ≥1016 eV cosmic‐ray particles (every 5 s). Each of such energetic particles gives rise to a cosmic ray shower (CRS) and, in the presence of sufficiently strong electric field over a sufficiently large distance, to a relativistic runaway electron avalanche (RREA). We infer that each of our upper‐level CIDs is likely to be caused by a CRS‐RREA traversing, at nearly the speed of light, the electrified overshooting convective surge and triggering, within a few microseconds, a multitude of streamer flashes along its path, over a distance of the order of hundreds of meters (as per the mechanism recently proposed for lightning initiation by Kostinskiy et al., 2020, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD033191). The upper‐level CID clustering was likely made possible by the recurring action of energetic cosmic rays and the rapid recovery of the negative screening charge layer at stratospheric altitudes.

The Helicity of Magnetic Fields Associated with Relativistic Electron Vortex Beams

The Helicity of Magnetic Fields Associated with Relativistic Electron Vortex Beams

Experimental demonstration of polarization control in Thomson scattering X-ray sources

Thomson scattering sources are known for generating quasi-monochromatic, high-brightness, and polarization-tunable X-rays, which are widely applied in fields such as fluorescence imaging, magnetic circular dichroism, and nuclear physics. In this paper, we present an experimental demonstration of polarization control at the Tsinghua Thomson scattering X-ray source (TTX) by adjusting the laser polarization. A specially designed Compton polarimeter is employed to effectively analyze the Degree of Linear Polarization (DoLP) of the X-rays produced at the TTX. Our results indicate that the DoLP of X-rays within a collecting angle of 1/(3γ), where γ is the Lorentz factor of the relativistic electron, closely matches the DoLP of the laser. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the X-ray polarization can be continuously modulated from linear polarization to circular polarization by adjusting the laser polarization, which can significantly enhance the functionality and applicability of Thomson Scattering sources for scientific research.

Frequency Spectrum of Radiation Flux Generated by Beam-Plasma System with Ten Joules Energy Content in Microsecond Pulse

The work reports the achievement of an energy content of 10 J per microsecond pulse in a directed flux of electromagnetic radiation in the frequency range of ~ 0.2–0.3 THz. The flux is generated by a fundamentally new method, which is realized through the pumping of upper-hybrid plasma oscillations in a magnetized plasma column with a relativistic electron beam (REB) and their subsequent transformation into a flux of electromagnetic radiation. In the described experiments at the GOL-PET facility, this method to generate THz radiation is implemented in the following way a beam of electrons with energy E ~ 0.5 MeV with a current density of (1–2) kA/cm2 is passing through a magnetized (4 T) plasma column with a density of 1014–1015 cm–3. By comparing the experimentally measured spectral composition of the radiation flux with the calculated spectrum, it is proved that this process is realized through resonant pumping of the branch of upper-hybrid plasma waves by such beam. A coordinated increase in plasma density and beam current density opens up the prospect of advancement in the generation of multi-megawatt radiation fluxes in the region of one terahertz.

Mechanism studies for relativistic attosecond electron bunches from laser-illuminated nanotargets.

To find a way to control the electron-bunching process and the bunch-emitting directions when an ultraintense, linearly polarized laser pulse interacts with a nanoscale target, we explored the mechanisms for the periodical generation of relativistic attosecond electron bunches. By comparing the simulation results of three different target geometries, the results show that for nanofoil target, limiting the transverse target size to a small value and increasing the longitudinal size to a certain extent is an effective way to improve the total electron quantity in a single bunch. Then the subfemtosecond electronic dynamics when an ultrashort ultraintense laser grazing propagates along a nanofoil target was analyzed through particle-in-cell simulations and semiclassical analyses, which shows the detailed dynamics of the electron acceleration, radiation, and bunching process in the laser field. The analyses also show that the charge separation field produced by the ions plays a key role in the generation of electron bunches, which can be used to control the quantity of the corresponding attosecond radiation bunches by adjusting the length of the nanofoil target.