Jebaraj, I.C. orcid.org/0000-0002-0606-7172, Agapitov, O. orcid.org/0000-0001-6427-1596, Krasnoselskikh, V. orcid.org/0000-0002-6809-6219 et al. (18 more authors) (2024) Acceleration of electrons and ions by an “almost” astrophysical shock in the heliosphere. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 968 (1). ISSN 2041-8205
Abstract
Collisionless shock waves, ubiquitous in the Universe, are crucial for particle acceleration in various astrophysical systems. Currently, the heliosphere is the only natural environment available for their in situ study. In this work, we showcase the collective acceleration of electrons and ions by one of the fastest in situ shocks ever recorded, observed by the pioneering Parker Solar Probe at only 34.5 million km from the Sun. Our analysis of this unprecedented, near-parallel shock shows electron acceleration up to 6 MeV amidst intense multiscale electromagnetic wave emissions. We also present evidence of a variable shock structure capable of injecting and accelerating ions from the solar wind to high energies through a self-consistent process. The exceptional capability of the probe's instruments to measure electromagnetic fields in a shock traveling at 1% the speed of light has enabled us, for the first time, to confirm that the structure of a strong heliospheric shock aligns with theoretical models of strong shocks observed in astrophysical environments. This alignment offers viable avenues for understanding astrophysical shock processes and the self-consistent acceleration of charged particles.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 The Authors. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Engineering (Sheffield) > Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 11 Jun 2024 15:52 |
Last Modified: | 11 Jun 2024 15:52 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad4daa |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Astronomical Society |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.3847/2041-8213/ad4daa |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:213337 |