Investigating particle acceleration dynamics in interpenetrating magnetized collisionless super-critical shocks

W Yao, A. Fazzini, S.N. Chen, K. Burdonov, J. Beard, M. Borghesi, A. Ciardi, M. Miceli, S. Orlando, Xavier Ribeyre, J. Fuchs

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Colliding collisionless shocks appear in a great variety of astrophysical phenomena and are thought to be possible sources of particle acceleration in the Universe. We have previously investigated particle acceleration induced by single super-critical shocks (whose magnetosonic Mach number is higher than the critical value of 2.7) (Yao et al., Nat. Phys., vol. 17, issue 10, 2021, pp. 1177–1182; Yao et al., Matter Radiat. Extrem., vol. 7, issue 1, 2022, 014402), as well as the collision of two sub-critical shocks (Fazzini et al., Astron. Astrophys., vol. 665, 2022, A87). Here, we propose to make measurements of accelerated particles from interpenetrating super-critical shocks to observe the ‘phase-locking effect’ (Fazzini et al., Astron. Astrophys., vol. 665, 2022, A87) from such an event. This effect is predicted to significantly boost the energy spectrum of the energized ions compared with a single super-critical collisionless shock. We thus anticipate that the results obtained in the proposed experiment could have a significant impact on our understanding of one type of primary source (acceleration of thermal ions as opposed to secondary acceleration mechanisms of already energetic ions) of ion energization of particles in the Universe.
Original languageEnglish
Article number915890101
JournalJournal of Plasma Physics
Volume89
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01 Feb 2023

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