Electron-positron Cascades Research Articles

Effects of Colliding Laser Pulses Polarization on e^{-}e^{+} Cascade Development in Extreme Focusing.

The onset and development of electron-positron cascade in a standing wave formed by multiple colliding laser pulses requires tight focusing in order to achieve the maximum laser intensity. There, steep spatiotemporal gradients in the laser intensity expel seed particles from the high-intensity region and thus can prevent the onset of a cascade. We show that radially polarized laser pulses ensure that the seed electrons are present at the focal plane at the moment of the highest amplitude even in the case of extreme focusing. This feature reduces the required laser power for the onset of a cascade 100 times (80 times) compared to circularly (linearly) polarized laser pulses having the same focal spot radius and duration.

Pair Plasma Cascade in Rotating Black Hole Magnetospheres with a Split Monopole Flux Model

An electron-positron cascade in the magnetospheres of Kerr black holes (BHs) is a fundamental ingredient to fueling the relativistic γ-ray jets seen at the polar regions of galactic supermassive BHs (SMBHs). This leptonic cascade occurs in the spark gap region of a BH magnetosphere where the unscreened electric field parallel to the magnetic field is present; hence, it is affected by the magnetic field structure. A previous study explored the case of a thin accretion disk, representative of active galactic nuclei. Here we explore the case of a quasi-spherical gas distribution, as is expected to be present around the SMBH Sgr A* in the center of our Milky Way galaxy, for example. The properties and efficiency of the leptonic cascade are studied. The findings of our study and the implications for SMBH systems in various spectral and accretion states are discussed. The relationships and scalings derived from varying the mass of the BH and background photon spectra are further used to analyze the leptonic cascade process to power jets seen in astronomical observations. In particular, one finds the efficiency of the cascade in a quasi-spherical gas distribution peaks at the jet axis. Observationally, this should lead to a more prominent jet core, in contrast to the thin disk accretion case, where it peaks around the jet–disk interface. One also finds the spectrum of the background photons plays a key role. The cascade efficiency is maximum for a spectral index of 2, while harder and softer spectra lead to a less efficient cascade.

On the Maximum Pair Multiplicity of Pulsar Cascades

Abstract We study electron–positron pair production in polar caps of energetic pulsars to determine the maximum multiplicity of pair plasma a pulsar can produce under the most favorable conditions. This paper complements and updates our study of pair cascades presented in Timokhin & Harding (2015) with a more accurate treatment of the effects of ultrastrong G magnetic fields and emission processes of primary and secondary particles. We include pairs produced by curvature and synchrotron radiation photons as well as resonant Compton-scattered photons. We develop a semianalytical model of electron–positron cascades that can efficiently simulate pair cascades with an arbitrary number of microphysical processes and use it to explore cascade properties for a wide range of pulsar parameters. We argue that the maximum cascade multiplicity cannot exceed and that the multiplicity has a rather weak dependence on pulsar period. The highest multiplicity is achieved in pulsars with magnetic field and hot surfaces, with T ≳ 106 K. We also derive analytical expressions for several physical quantities relevant for electromagnetic cascade in pulsars, which may be useful in future works on pulsar cascades, including the upper limit on cascade multiplicity and various approximations for the parameter χ, the exponential factor in the expression for photon attenuation in strong magnetic fields.

Identifying the electron–positron cascade regimes in high-intensity laser-matter interactions

Strong-field quantum electrodynamics predicts electron-seeded electron–positron pair cascades when the electric field in the rest-frame of the seed electron approaches the Sauter–Schwinger field, i.e. . Electrons in the focus of next generation multi-PW lasers are expected to reach this threshold. We identify three distinct cascading regimes in the interaction of counter-propagating, circularly-polarised laser pulses with a thin foil by performing a comprehensive scan over the laser intensity (from 1023 to 5 × 1024 W cm−2) and initial foil target density (from 1026 to 1031 m−3). For low densities and intensities the number of pairs grows exponentially. If the intensity and target density are high enough the number density of created pairs reaches the relativistically-corrected critical density, the pair plasma efficiently absorbs the laser energy (through radiation reaction) and the cascade saturates. If the initial density is too high, such that the initial target is overdense, the cascade is suppressed by the skin effect. We derive a semi-analytical model which predicts that dense pair plasmas are endemic features of these interactions for intensities above 1024 W cm−2 provided the target’s relativistic skin-depth is longer than the laser wavelength. Further, it shows that pair production is maximised in near-critical-density targets, providing a guide for near-term experiments.

Electron-positron cascade in magnetospheres of spinning black holes

We quantitatively study the stationary, axisymmetric, force-free magnetospheres of spinning (Kerr) black holes (BHs) and the conditions needed for relativistic jets to be powered by the Blandford-Znajek mechanism. These jets could be from active galactic nuclei, blazars, quasars, micro-quasars, radio active galaxies, and other systems that host Kerr BHs. The structure of the magnetosphere determines how the BH energy is extracted, e.g., via Blandford-Znajek mechanism, which converts the BH rotational energy into Poynting flux. The key assumption is the force-free condition, which requires the presence of plasma with the density being above the Goldreich-Julian density. Unlike neutron stars, which in principle can supply electrons from the surface, BH cannot supply plasma at all. The plasma must be generated \em{in situ} via an electron-positron cascade, presumably in the gap region. Here we study varying conditions that provide a sufficient amount of plasma for the Blandford-Znajek mechanism to work effectively.

Electron-Positron Cascade in Magnetospheres of Spinning Black Holes

We quantitatively study the stationary, axisymmetric, force-free magnetospheres of spinning (Kerr) black holes (BHs) and the conditions needed for relativistic jets to be powered by the Blandford-Znajek mechanism. These jets could be from active galactic nuclei, blazars, quasars, microquasars, radioactive galaxies, and other systems that host Kerr BHs. The structure of the magnetosphere determines how the BH energy is extracted, e.g., via the Blandford-Znajek mechanism, which converts the BH rotational energy into Poynting flux. The key assumption is the force-free condition, which requires the presence of plasma with the density being above the Goldreich-Julian density. Unlike neutron stars, which in principle can supply electrons from the surface, BHs cannot supply plasma at all. The plasma must be generated in situ via an electron-positron cascade, presumably in the gap region. Here we study varying conditions that provide a sufficient amount of plasma for the Blandford-Znajek mechanism to work effectively.

Time-dependent pair cascades in magnetospheres of neutron stars - I. Dynamics of the polar cap cascade with no particle supply from the neutron star surface

I argue that the problem of electromagnetically driven electron-positron cascades in magnetospheres of neutron stars must be addressed starting from first principles. I describe a general numerical algorithm for doing self-consistent kinetic simulations of electron-positron cascades - wherein particle acceleration, pair creation and screening of the electric field are calculated simultaneously - and apply it to model the Ruderman and Sutherland cascade in one dimension. I find that pair creation is quite regular and quasi-periodic. In each cycle a blob of ultrarelativistic electron-positron plasma is generated, it propagates into the magnetosphere leaving a tail of less relativistic plasma behind, and the next discharge occurs when this mildly relativistic plasma leaves the polar cap. A short burst of pair formation is followed by a longer quiet phase when accelerating electric field is screened and no pairs are produced. Some of freshly injected electron-positrons pairs get trapped in plasma oscillations creating a population of low energy particles. The cascade easily adjusts to the current density required by the pulsar magnetosphere by reversing some of the low energy particles. Each discharge generates a strong coherent superluminal electrostatic wave, which may be relevant for the problem of pulsar radioemission.

On the force-free magnetosphere of an aligned rotator

We investigate in detail the properties of the stationary force-free magnetosphere of an aligned rotator assuming the last closed field line is lying in the equatorial plane at large distances from pulsar. The pulsar equation is solved numerically using a multigrid code with high numerical resolution, and physical properties of the magnetosphere are obtained with high accuracy. We found a set of solutions with different sizes of the closed magnetic field line zone and verify the applicability of the force-free approximation. We discuss the role of electron-positron cascades in supporting the force-free magnetosphere and argue that the closed field line zone should grow with time at a slower rate than the light cylinder. This yields a pulsar breaking index of less than 3. It is shown that models of an aligned rotator magnetosphere with a widely accepted configuration of the magnetic field, such as the one considered in this paper, have serious difficulties. We discuss the solutions of this problem and argue that in any case pulsar energy losses should evolve with time differently than is predicted by the magnetodipolar formula.

Pair Production Multiplicities in Rotation‐powered Pulsars

We discuss the creation of electron-positron cascades in the context of pulsar polar cap acceleration models and derive several useful analytic and semi-analytic results for the spatial extent and energy response of the cascade. Instead of Monte Carlo simulations, we use an integro- differential equation which describes the development of the cascade energy spectrum in one space dimension quite well, when it is compared to existing Monte Carlo models. We reduce this full equation to a single integral equation, from which we can derive useful results, such as the energy loss between successive generations of photons and the spectral index of the response. We find that a simple analytic formula represents the pair cascade multiplicity quite well, provided that the magnetic field is below 10^12 Gauss, and that an only slightly more complex formula matches the numerically-calculated cascade at all other field strengths. Using these results, we find that cascades triggered by gamma rays emitted through inverse Compton scattering of thermal photons from the neutron star's surface, both resonant and non-resonant, are important for the dynamics of the polar cap region in many pulsars.

Propagation Effects on Pulsar Radio Emission

AbstractPropagation effects on radio emission within the pulsar magnetosphere are discussed. Widely accepted pulsar models assume that a pulsar magnetosphere is populated with relativistic pair plasmas produced through electron–positron cascades by accelerated primary particles above the polar cap. Any radio emission produced well inside the light cylinder (the radius at which the rotation speed equals c) must propagate through the magnetospheric plasma and be subject to plasma dispersion effects such as refraction and absorption. The observed pulse profiles should contain some features that reflect the influence of the intervening plasma. I discuss particularly the absorption effect due to cyclotron resonance and its possible observational consequences.

Recent Results from the CANGAROO Project

TheCollaboration ofAustralia andNippon for aGAmmaRayObservatory in theOutback operates two large telescopes at Woomera (South Australia), which detect the Čerenkov light images produced in the atmosphere by electronpositron cascades initiated by very high energy (~1 TeV or 1012eV) gamma rays. These gamma rays arise from a different mechanism than at EGRET energies: inverse Compton (IC) emission from relativistic electrons.The spoke-like images are recorded by a multi-pixel camera which facilitates the rejection of the large numbers of oblique and ragged cosmic ray images. A field of view ~3.5° is required. The Australian team operates a triple 4 m diameter mirror telescope, BIGRAT, with a 37 photomultiplier tube camera and energy threshold 600 GeV. The Japanese operate a single, highly accurate 3.8 m diameter f/1 telescope and high resolution 256 photomultipler tube camera. In 1998 a new 7 m telescope is planned for Woomera with a design threshold ~;200GeV.

A flare-induced cascade model of γ-ray bursts

Although there is no agreement concerning the model and mechanisms responsible for γ-ray bursts, it is generally agreed that they are produced by neutron stars1. With few exceptions2, it is thought that an intense magnetic field plays a key role. The favoured radiation mechanism is optically thin synchrotron radiation3, but it is difficult to find any way of maintaining the electron energy since the radiation cooling time is extremely short. As a resolution of this difficulty, I propose that the basic energy-release mechanism is a flare in the magnetosphere of a neutron star. This involves reconnection that leads to an electric field parallel to the magnetic field. This accelerates an electron along the magnetic field, producing high-energy γ rays (by curvature radiation) that promptly annihilate in the magnetic field, resulting in an electron-positron cascade as in radio pulsars4. This model offers an explanation of the continuum spectrum, of the 511-keV annihilation line, and possibly of the optical radiation that seems to accompany some γ-ray bursts.

Are pulsars externally triggered?

We show that inverse Compton losses of ultrarelativistic electrons travelling upstream through the outflowing fields of a radio pulsar prevent the entry ofall cosmic ray electrons into most pulsars’ magnetospheres. We also argue that gamma ray triggering is probably not relevant, and conclude that the external triggering of electron-positron cascades proposed by Ruderman & Sutherland and by Radhakrishnan is not likely to be a major contributor to the plasma dynamics of pulsars.

Cascade process in strong magnetic and electric fields under astrophysical conditions

The self-sustained electron-positron cascade process is analyzed in connection with pulsars. The electric and magnetic fields of the electron-positron plasma surrounding a neutron star and the radio emission of such a system are analyzed.