Plasma and Fusion Research

Volume 8, 2401031 (2013)

Regular Articles

Simulation Studies of Detrapping of Ultrarelativistic Electrons from an Oblique Shock Wave due to Multidimensional Fluctuations

Mieko TOIDA and Junya JOHO

: Department of Physics, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan

(Received 16 November 2012 / Accepted 14 March 2013 / Published 23 April 2013)

Abstract

A magnetosonic shock wave propagating obliquely to an external magnetic field can trap and accelerate electrons to ultrarelativistic energies. These electrons can excite electromagnetic fluctuations along the shock front. The effects of the electromagnetic fluctuations on electron motion are investigated by two-dimensional electromagnetic particle simulations and test particle calculations in which equation of motion of electrons in the electromagnetic fields averaged along the shock front is computed. Comparisons of the two results verify that the electromagnetic fluctuations along the shock front can cause detrapping of energetic electrons from the main pulse and their subsequent acceleration to higher energies. It is also demonstrated that as the external magnetic field strengthens, the electromagnetic fluctuations along the shock front grow to larger amplitudes, and the detrapping and subsequent acceleration of electrons enhance.

Keywords

particle acceleration, collisionless shock, trapping, detrapping, particle simulation

DOI: 10.1585/pfr.8.2401031

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This paper may be cited as follows:

Mieko TOIDA and Junya JOHO, Plasma Fusion Res. 8, 2401031 (2013).