scholarly journals Shock acceleration efficiency in radio relics

2020 ◽  
Vol 634 ◽  
pp. A64 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Botteon ◽  
G. Brunetti ◽  
D. Ryu ◽  
S. Roh

Context. Radio relics in galaxy clusters are giant diffuse synchrotron sources powered in cluster outskirts by merger shocks. Although the relic–shock connection has been consolidated in recent years by a number of observations, the details of the mechanisms leading to the formation of relativistic particles in this environment are still not well understood. Aims. The diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) theory is a commonly adopted scenario to explain the origin of cosmic rays at astrophysical shocks, including those in radio relics in galaxy clusters. However, in a few specific cases it has been shown that the energy dissipated by cluster shocks is not enough to reproduce the luminosity of the relics via DSA of thermal particles. Studies based on samples of radio relics are required to further address this limitation of the mechanism. Methods. In this paper, we focus on ten well-studied radio relics with underlying shocks observed in the X-rays and calculate the electron acceleration efficiency of these shocks that is necessary to reproduce the observed radio luminosity of the relics. Results. We find that in general the standard DSA cannot explain the origin of the relics if electrons are accelerated from the thermal pool with an efficiency significantly smaller than 10%. Our results show that other mechanisms, such as shock re-acceleration of supra-thermal seed electrons or a modification of standard DSA, are required to explain the formation of radio relics.

2019 ◽  
Vol 488 (1) ◽  
pp. 1301-1319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reju Sam John ◽  
Surajit Paul ◽  
Luigi Iapichino ◽  
Karl Mannheim ◽  
Harish Kumar

ABSTRACT Galaxy clusters are known to be reservoirs of cosmic rays (CRs), as inferred from theoretical calculations or detection of CR-derived observables. CR acceleration in clusters is mostly attributed to the dynamical activity that produces shocks. Shocks in clusters emerge out of merger or accretion, but which one is more effective in producing CRs? at which dynamical phase? and why? To this aim, we study the production or injection of CRs through shocks and its evolution in the galaxy clusters using cosmological simulations with the enzo code. Particle acceleration model considered here is primarily the Diffusive Shock Acceleration (DSA) of thermal particles, but we also report a tentative study with pre-existing CRs. Defining appropriate dynamical states using the concept of virialization, we studied a sample of merging and non-merging clusters. We report that the merger shocks (with Mach number $\mathcal {M}\sim 2-5$) are the most effective CR producers, while high-Mach peripheral shocks (i.e. $\mathcal {M}\gt 5$) are mainly responsible for the brightest phase of CR injection in clusters. Clusters once merged, permanently deviate from CR and X-ray mass scaling of non-merging systems, enabling us to use it as a tool to determine the state of merger. Through a temporal and spatial evolution study, we found a strong correlation between cluster merger dynamics and CR injection. We observed that the brightest phase of X-ray and CR injection from clusters occurs, respectively, at about 1.0 and 1.5 Gyr after every mergers, and CR injection peaks near to the cluster virial radius (i.e r200). Delayed CR injection peaks found in this study deserve further investigation for possible impact on the evolution of CR-derived observables from galaxy clusters.


2020 ◽  
Vol 495 (1) ◽  
pp. L112-L117 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Wittor ◽  
F Vazza ◽  
D Ryu ◽  
H Kang

ABSTRACT Observations of large-scale radio emissions prove the existence of shock accelerated cosmic ray electrons in galaxy clusters, while the lack of detected γ-rays limits the acceleration of cosmic ray protons in galaxy clusters. This challenges our understanding of how diffusive shock acceleration works. In this work, we couple the most updated recipes for shock acceleration in the intracluster medium to state-of-the-art magnetohydrodynamical simulations of massive galaxy clusters. Furthermore, we use passive tracer particles to follow the evolution of accelerated cosmic rays. We show that when the interplay between magnetic field topology and the feedback from accelerated cosmic rays is taken into account, the latest developments of particle acceleration theory give results that are compatible with observational constraints.


Author(s):  
G Morlino ◽  
P Blasi ◽  
E Peretti ◽  
P Cristofari

Abstract The origin of cosmic rays in our Galaxy remains a subject of active debate. While supernova remnant shocks are often invoked as the sites of acceleration, it is now widely accepted that the difficulties of such sources in reaching PeV energies are daunting and it seems likely that only a subclass of rare remnants can satisfy the necessary conditions. Moreover the spectra of cosmic rays escaping the remnants have a complex shape that is not obviously the same as the spectra observed at the Earth. Here we investigate the process of particle acceleration at the termination shock that develops in the bubble excavated by star clusters’ winds in the interstellar medium. While the main limitation to the maximum energy in supernova remnants comes from the need for effective wave excitation upstream so as to confine particles in the near-shock region and speed up the acceleration process, at the termination shock of star clusters the confinement of particles upstream in guaranteed by the geometry of the problem. We develop a theory of diffusive shock acceleration at such shock and we find that the maximum energy may reach the PeV region for powerful clusters in the high end of the luminosity tail for these sources. A crucial role in this problem is played by the dissipation of energy in the wind to magnetic perturbations. Under reasonable conditions the spectrum of the accelerated particles has a power law shape with a slope 4÷4.3, in agreement with what is required based upon standard models of cosmic ray transport in the Galaxy.


1994 ◽  
Vol 142 ◽  
pp. 981-983
Author(s):  
Peter Duffy

AbstractA numerical solution to the problem of self-consistent diffusive shock acceleration is presented. The cosmic rays are scattered, accelerated and exert a back-reaction on the gas through their interaction with turbulence frozen into the local fluid frame. Using a grid with a hierarchical spacetime structure the physically interesting limit of Bohm diffusion (к ∝ pv), which introduces a wide range of diffusion lengthscales and acceleration timescales, can be studied. Some implications for modified shocks and particle acceleration are presented.Subject headings: acceleration of particles — cosmic rays — diffusion — shock waves


Galaxies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Motokazu Takizawa

We study two galaxy clusters with radio relics, 1RXS J0603.3+4214 and RXC J1053.7+5453, through X-ray and radio observations. Radio relics are diffuse non-thermal radio sources found in outskirts of galaxy clusters. Because of their shape and location, they are thought to be related to cluster merger shocks. The galaxy cluster 1RXS J0603.3+4214 has a well-known linear-shape “toothbrush” radio relic. We investigate the temperature structure across the relic to constrain the Mach number of the associated shock. The results are compared with radio spectral results, which suggest that a simple diffusive shock acceleration model does not hold for this relic. The RXC J1053.7+5453 harbors a standard arc-like relic. We also get the Mach number from the temperature profile. In addition, we found an edge-like structure in the X-ray image between the X-ray peak and relic. We investigate the density and temperature profiles across the edge and found that the structure is likely relevant to not a shock but a contact discontinuity.


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