Shock Ram Pressure Research Articles

Uncovering Magnetic Turbulence in Young Supernova Remnants with Polarized X-Ray Imaging

Abstract Observations of young supernova remnants (SNRs) in X-rays and γ-rays have provided conclusive evidence for particle acceleration to at least TeV energies. Analysis of high-spatial-resolution X-ray maps of young SNRs has indicated that the particle acceleration process is accompanied by strong nonadiabatic amplification of magnetic fields. If Fermi acceleration is the mechanism producing the energetic cosmic rays (CRs), the amplified magnetic field must be turbulent, and CR-driven instabilities are among the most probable mechanisms for converting the shock ram pressure into magnetic turbulence. The development and evolution of strong magnetic turbulence in collisionless plasmas forming SNR shells are complicated phenomena which include the amplification of magnetic modes, anisotropic mode transformations at shocks, as well as the nonlinear physics of turbulent cascades. Polarized X-ray synchrotron radiation from ultrarelativistic electrons accelerated in the SNR shock is produced in a thin layer immediately behind the shock and is not subject to the Faraday depolarization effect. These factors open up possibilities to study some properties of magnetic turbulence, and here we present polarized X-ray synchrotron maps of SNR shells assuming different models of magnetic turbulence cascades. It is shown that different models of anisotropic turbulence can be distinguished by measuring the predominant polarization angle direction. We discuss the detection of these features in Tycho’s SNR with the coming generation of X-ray polarimeters such as the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer.

Unstable Plasma Modes Amplified by Cosmic Rays in the Upstream of Collisionless Shock

Abstract—Nonequilibrium distributions of cosmic rays accelerated by the Fermi mechanism are formed by multiple interactions with magnetic fluctuations in the upstream region of a collisionless shock. The shock ram pressure is transferred to accelerated cosmic rays, which may in turn amplify the magnetic turbulence. A short-wave plasma instability induced in the upstream region of a collisionless shock caused by the interaction between cosmic rays and the background plasma is discussed.

Cosmic ray driven instabilities in a plasma flow upstream of a supernova shock

Forward shocks in supernova remnants are known as efficient cosmic ray (CR) accelerators. They may convert a sizeable fraction of the shock ram pressure into relativistic particles with highly non-equilibrium distribution functions. We discuss here a specific unstable mode driven by the CR-current and CR-pressure gradients which is producing the magnetic fluctuations in a cold plasma of the shock upstream. The growth rates of the new CR-driven mode propagating obliquely to the mean magnetic field are presented in the short-wavelength limit and compared to the known Bell’s CR-current and Drury-Dorfi-Falle acoustic instabilities.

Shocked Interstellar Clouds and Dust Grain Destruction in the LMC Supernova Remnant N132D

Abstract From integral field data we extract the optical spectra of 20 shocked clouds in the supernova remnant N132D in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Using self-consistent shock modeling, we derive the shock velocity, pre-shock cloud density, and shock ram pressure in these clouds. We show that the [Fe x] and [Fe xiv] emission arises in faster, partially radiative shocks moving through the lower-density gas near the periphery of the clouds. In these shocks dust has been effectively destroyed, while in the slower cloud shocks the dust destruction is incomplete until the recombination zone of the shock has been reached. These dense interstellar clouds provide a sampling of the general interstellar medium (ISM) of the LMC. Our shock analysis allows us to make a new determination of the ISM chemical composition in N, O, Ne, S, Cl, and Ar, and to obtain accurate estimates of the fraction of refractory grains destroyed. From the derived cloud shock parameters, we estimate cloud masses and show that the clouds previously existed as typical self-gravitating Bonnor–Ebert spheres into which converging cloud shocks are now being driven.

Pulsar Wind Nebulae with Bow Shocks: Non-thermal Radiation and Cosmic Ray Leptons

Pulsars with high spin-down power produce relativistic winds radiating a fraction of the power in the range from radio to gamma-rays in the pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe). The rest of the power is dissipated in the interactions of the PWNe with the interstellar medium (ISM). Some of the PWNe are moving relative to the ISM with supersonic speeds producing bow shocks. In this case, the ultrarelativistic particles accelerated at the termination surface of the pulsar wind may be reaccelerated in the converging flow system formed by the outflow from the wind termination shock and the inflow from the bow shock. An outcome of this reacceleration is the creation of particle distributions with hard spectra, such as required to explain the observed synchrotron spectra with photon indices Gamma <~ 1.5. The presence of this hard component is specific to PWNe with bow shocks (BSPWNe). The accelerated particles may end up containing a substantial fraction of the shock ram pressure. For typical ISM and pulsar parameters, the positrons released by these systems are numerous enough to contribute a substantial fraction of the positrons detected as galactic cosmic ray particles above few tens and up to several hundred GeV. The escape of ultrarelativistic particles from a BSPWN and its appearance in the far-UV and X-ray bands is determined by the directions of the interstellar magnetic field, the velocity of the astrosphere and the pulsar rotation axis. In this respect we review the observed appearance and multiwavelength spectra of three different types of BSPWNe: PSR J0437-4715, the Guitar and Lighthouse nebulae, and Vela-like objects. We argue that high resolution imaging of such objects provides unique information on pulsar winds and on the ISM. We discuss the interpretation of imaging observations and estimate the BSPWN contribution to the positron flux observed at the Earth. (ABRIDGED)

A link between feedback outflows and satellite galaxy suppression

We suggest a direct link between the two "missing" baryon problems of contemporary galaxy formation theory: (1) that large galaxies are known to contain too little gas and stars and (2) that too few dwarf satellite galaxies are observed around large galaxies compared with cosmological simulations. The former can be explained by invoking some energetic process -- most likely AGN or star formation feedback -- which expels to infinity a significant fraction of the gas initially present in the proto-galaxy, while the latter problem is usually explained by star formation feedback inside the dwarf or tidal and ram pressure stripping of the gas from the satellite galaxy by its parent. Here we point out that the host galaxy "missing" baryons, if indeed ejected at velocities of hundreds to a thousand km s$^{-1}$, must also affect smaller satellite galaxies by stripping or shocking the gas there. We estimate the fraction of gas removed from the satellites as a function of the satellite galaxy's properties. Applying these results to a Milky Way like dark matter halo, we find that this singular shock ram pressure stripping event may be quite efficient in removing the gas from the satellites provided that they are close enough. We also use the orbital and mass modelling data for eight Galactic dwarf spheroidal (dSph) satellites, and find that it is likely that many of them have been affected by the Galactic outflow. We point out that galactic outflows of the host may also trigger a starburst in the satellite galaxies by over-pressuring their gas discs. This process may be responsible for the formation of the globular clusters observed in some of the Milky Way's dSphs (e.g. the Fornax and Sagittarius dSphs).

DIFFUSIVE SHOCK ACCELERATION AT COSMOLOGICAL SHOCK WAVES

We reexamine nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) at cosmological shocks in the large scale structure of the Universe, incorporating wave-particle interactions that are expected to operate in collisionless shocks. Adopting simple phenomenological models for magnetic field amplification (MFA) by cosmic-ray (CR) streaming instabilities and Alfv'enic drift, we perform kinetic DSA simulations for a wide range of sonic and Alfv'enic Mach numbers and evaluate the CR injection fraction and acceleration efficiency. In our DSA model the CR acceleration efficiency is determined mainly by the sonic Mach number Ms, while the MFA factor depends on the Alfv'enic Mach number and the degree of shock modification by CRs. We show that at strong CR modified shocks, if scattering centers drift with an effective Alfv'en speed in the amplified magnetic field, the CR energy spectrum is steepened and the acceleration efficiency is reduced significantly, compared to the cases without such effects. As a result, the postshock CR pressure saturates roughly at ~ 20 % of the shock ram pressure for strong shocks with Ms>~ 10. In the test-particle regime (Ms<~ 3), it is expected that the magnetic field is not amplified and the Alfv'enic drift effects are insignificant, although relevant plasma physical processes at low Mach number shocks remain largely uncertain.

DIFFUSIVE SHOCK ACCELERATION WITH MAGNETIC FIELD AMPLIFICATION AND ALFVÉNIC DRIFT

We explore how wave-particle interactions affect diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) at astrophysical shocks by performing time-dependent kinetic simulations, in which phenomenological models for magnetic field amplification (MFA), Alfv<TEX>$\acute{e}$</TEX>nic drift, thermal leakage injection, Bohm-like diffusion, and a free escape boundary are implemented. If the injection fraction of cosmic-ray (CR) particles is <TEX>${\xi}$</TEX> > <TEX>$2{\times}10^{-4}$</TEX>, for the shock parameters relevant for young supernova remnants, DSA is efficient enough to develop a significant shock precursor due to CR feedback, and magnetic field can be amplified up to a factor of 20 via CR streaming instability in the upstream region. If scattering centers drift with Alfv<TEX>$\acute{e}$</TEX>n speed in the amplified magnetic field, the CR energy spectrum can be steepened significantly and the acceleration efficiency is reduced. Nonlinear DSA with self-consistent MFA and Alfv<TEX>$\acute{e}$</TEX>nic drift predicts that the postshock CR pressure saturates roughly at ~10 % of the shock ram pressure for strong shocks with a sonic Mach number ranging <TEX>$20{\leq}M_s{\leq}100$</TEX>. Since the amplified magnetic field follows the flow modification in the precursor, the low energy end of the particle spectrum is softened much more than the high energy end. As a result, the concave curvature in the energy spectra does not disappear entirely even with the help of Alfv<TEX>$\acute{e}$</TEX>nic drift. For shocks with a moderate Alfv<TEX>$\acute{e}$</TEX>n Mach number (<TEX>$M_A$</TEX> < 10), the accelerated CR spectrum can become as steep as <TEX>$E^{-2.1}$</TEX> - <TEX>$E^{-2.3}$</TEX>, which is more consistent with the observed CR spectrum and gamma-ray photon spectrum of several young supernova remnants.

RE-ACCELERATION OF NON-THERMAL PARTICLES AT WEAK COSMOLOGICAL SHOCK WAVES

We examine diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) of the pre-exisiting as well as freshly injected populations of nonthermal, cosmic-ray (CR) particles at weak cosmological shocks. Assuming simple models for thermal leakage injection and Alfv\'enic drift, we derive analytic, time-dependent solutions for the two populations of CRs accelerated in the test-particle regime. We then compare them with the results from kinetic DSA simulations for shock waves that are expected to form in intracluster media and cluster outskirts in the course of large-scale structure formation. We show that the test-particle solutions provide a good approximation for the pressure and spectrum of CRs accelerated at these weak shocks. Since the injection is extremely inefficient at weak shocks, the pre-existing CR population dominates over the injected population. If the pressure due to pre-existing CR protons is about 5 % of the gas thermal pressure in the upstream flow, the downstream CR pressure can absorb typically a few to 10 % of the shock ram pressure at shocks with the Mach number $M \la 3$. Yet, the re-acceleration of CR electrons can result in a substantial synchrotron emission behind the shock. The enhancement in synchrotron radiation across the shock is estimated to be about a few to several for $M \sim 1.5$ and $10^2-10^3$ for $M \sim 3$, depending on the detail model parameters. The implication of our findings for observed bright radio relics is discussed.

DIFFUSIVE SHOCK ACCELERATION IN TEST-PARTICLE REGIME

We examine the test-particle solution for diffusive shock acceleration, based on simple models for thermal leakage injection and Alfv'enic drift. The critical injection rate, \xi_c, above which the cosmic ray (CR) pressure becomes dynamically significant, depends mainly on the sonic shock Mach number, M, and preshock gas temperature, T_1. In the hot-phase interstellar medium (ISM) and intracluster medium, \xi_c < 10^{-3} for shocks with M < 5, while \xi_c ~ 10^{-4}(T_1/10^6 K)^{1/2} for shocks with M > 10. For T_1=10^6 K, for example, the test-particle solution would be valid if the injection momentum, p_{inj} > 3.8 p_{th}. This leads to the postshock CR pressure less than 10% of the shock ram pressure. If the Alfv'en speed is comparable to the sound speed in the preshock flow, as in the hot-phase ISM, the power-law slope of CR spectrum can be significantly softer than the canonical test-particle slope. Then the CR spectrum at the shock can be approximated by the revised test-particle power-law with an exponential cutoff at the highest accelerated momentum, p_{max}(t). An analytic form of the exponential cutoff is also suggested.

EFFECTS OF NEUTRAL PARTICLES ON MODIFIED SHOCKS AT SUPERNOVA REMNANTS

H-alpha emission from supernova remnants (SNRs) implies the existence of neutral hydrogens in the ambient medium. In the precursor of an SNR shock modified by cosmic rays (CRs), upstream plasmas are pushed by the CR pressure, but neutral particles are not, so that the relative velocity appears and some neutral particles become pickup ions by the charge exchange process in the precursor. We investigate how the pickup ions generated in the precursor affect the shock structure and the particle acceleration. If the CR pressure is larger than 20% of the shock ram pressure, the compression of the subshock becomes smaller than that without pickup ions because of the pressure of the pickup ions. Moreover, even if the shock is modified by CRs, the total compression ratio can be smaller than 4. In addition, the pickup ions play an important role for the injection into the particle acceleration. If the shock is a quasi-perpendicular shock and if the the multiply reflected ion acceleration occurs, the CR spectrum can be harder than that of the test particle diffusive shock acceleration below GeV.

Efficiency of Nonlinear Particle Acceleration at Cosmic Structure Shocks

We have calculated the evolution of cosmic-ray (CR) modified astrophysical shocks for a wide range of shock Mach numbers and shock speeds through numerical simulations of diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) in one-dimensional quasi-parallel plane shocks. The simulations include thermal leakage injection of seed CRs, as well as preexisting, upstream CR populations. Bohm-like diffusion is assumed. We model shocks similar to those expected around cosmic structure pancakes, as well as other accretion shocks driven by flows with upstream gas temperatures in the range T0 = 104-107.6 K and shock Mach numbers spanning Ms = 2.4-133. We show that CR-modified shocks evolve to time-asymptotic states by the time injected particles are accelerated to moderately relativistic energies (p/mc ≳ 1), and that two shocks with the same Mach number, but with different shock speeds, evolve qualitatively similarly when the results are presented in terms of a characteristic diffusion length and diffusion time. We determine and compare the "efficiencies" of CR acceleration in our simulated shocks by calculating the ratio of the total CR energy generated at the shock to the total kinetic energy that would pass through the shock over time in its initial frame of reference. For these models the time-asymptotic value for this efficiency ratio is controlled mainly by shock Mach number, as expected from the aforementioned similarity in CR shocks. In the presence of a preexisting CR population, shock evolution proceeds similarly to that for higher thermal injection rates compared to thermal leakage CR sources alone. This added contribution has little or no impact on the postshock or CR properties of the high Mach number shocks simulated. The modeled high Mach number shocks all evolve toward efficiencies ~50%, regardless of the upstream CR pressure. On the other hand, the upstream CR pressure increases the overall CR energy in moderate strength shocks (Ms ~ a few), since it is a significant fraction of the shock ram pressure. These shocks have been shown to dominate dissipation during cosmic structure formation, so such enhanced efficiency could significantly increase their potential importance as sources of cosmic rays.

Numerical modelling of gamma radiation from galaxy clusters

We investigate the spatial and spectral properties of non-thermal emission from clusters of galaxies at γ-ray energies. We estimate the radiation flux between 10 keV and 10 TeV due to inverse-Compton (IC) emission, π 0 -decay and non-thermal bremsstrahlung (NTB) from cosmic ray (CR) ions and electrons accelerated at cosmic shocks as well as secondary e = generated in inelastic p-p collisions. We identify two main region of production of non-thermal radiation, namely the core (also bright in the thermal X-ray range) and the outskirts region where accretion shocks occur. We find that IC emission from shock-accelerated CR electrons dominate the emission at the outer regions of galaxy clusters, provided that at least a fraction of a per cent of the shock ram pressure is converted into CR electrons. A clear detection of this component and of its spatial distribution will allow us to probe the cosmic accretion shocks directly. In the cluster core, γ-ray emission above 100 MeV is dominated by the π 0 -decay mechanism. At lower energies, IC emission from secondary e ′ takes over. However, IC emission from shock-accelerated electrons projected on to the cluster core will not be negligible. We emphasize the importance of separating the aforementioned emission components for a correct interpretation of the experimental data and outline a strategy for that purpose. Failure to addresses this issue will produce unsound estimates of the intracluster magnetic field strength and CR ion content. According to our estimate future spaceborne and ground-based γ-ray facilities should be able to measure the whole non-thermal spectrum both in the cluster core and at its outskirts. The importance of such measurements in advancing our understanding of non-thermal processes in the intracluster medium is discussed.

Intergalactic shock acceleration and the cosmic gamma-ray background

We investigate numerically the contribution to the cosmic gamma-ray background from cosmic-ray ions and electrons accelerated at intergalactic shocks associated with cosmological structure formation. We show that the kinetic energy of accretion flows in the low-redshift intergalactic medium is thermalized primarily through moderately strong shocks, which allow for an efficient conversion of shock ram pressure into cosmic-ray pressure. Cosmic rays accelerated at these shocks produce a diffuse gamma-ray flux which is dominated by inverse Compton emission from electrons scattering off cosmic microwave background photons. Decay of neutral π mesons generated in p—p inelastic collisions of the ionic cosmic-ray component with the thermal gas contribute about 30 per cent of the computed emission. Based on experimental upper limits on the photon flux above 100 MeV from nearby clusters we constrain the efficiency of conversion of shock ram pressure into relativistic CR electrons to ≲1 per cent. Thus, we find that cosmic rays of cosmological origin can generate an overall significant fraction of order 20 per cent and no more than 30 per cent of the measured gamma-ray background.