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1. Suprathermal Ion Energy Spectra and Anisotropies near the Heliospheric Current Sheet Crossing Observed by the Parker Solar Probe during Encounter 7

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac4961  

   Desai, M. I. ; Mitchell, D. G. ; McComas, D. J. ; Drake, J. F. ; Phan, T. ; Szalay, J. R. ; Roelof, E. C. ; Giacalone, J. ; Hill, M. E. ; Christian, E. R. ; et al ( March 2022 , The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract We present observations of ≳10–100 keV nucleon −1 suprathermal (ST) H, He, O, and Fe ions associated with crossings of the heliospheric current sheet (HCS) at radial distances of <0.1 au from the Sun. Our key findings are as follows: (1) very few heavy ions are detected during the first full crossing, the heavy-ion intensities are reduced during the second partial crossing and peak just after the second crossing; (2) ion arrival times exhibit no velocity dispersion; (3) He pitch-angle distributions track the magnetic field polarity reversal and show up to ∼10:1 anti-sunward, field-aligned flows and beams closer to the HCS that become nearly isotropic farther from the HCS; (4) the He spectrum steepens either side of the HCS, and the He, O, and Fe spectra exhibit power laws of the form ∼ E −4 – E 6 ; and (5) maximum energies E X increase with the ion’s charge-to-mass ( Q / M ) ratio as E X / E H ∝ ( Q X / M X ) δ , where δ ∼ 0.65–0.76, assuming that the average Q states are similar to those measured in gradual and impulsive solar energetic particle events at 1 au. Themore »absence of velocity dispersion in combination with strong field-aligned anisotropies closer to the HCS appears to rule out solar flares and near-Sun coronal-mass-ejection-driven shocks. These new observations present challenges not only for mechanisms that employ direct parallel electric fields and organize maximum energies according to E / Q but also for local diffusive and magnetic-reconnection-driven acceleration models. Reevaluation of our current understanding of the production and transport of energetic ions is necessary to understand this near-solar, current-sheet-associated population of ST ions.« less
2. PSP/IS⊙IS Observation of a Solar Energetic Particle Event Associated with a Streamer Blowout Coronal Mass Ejection during Encounter 6

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac408f  

   Getachew, T. ; McComas, D. J. ; Joyce, C. J. ; Palmerio, E. ; Christian, E. R. ; Cohen, C. M. ; Desai, M. I. ; Giacalone, J. ; Hill, M. E. ; Matthaeus, W. H. ; et al ( February 2022 , The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract In this paper we examine a low-energy solar energetic particle (SEP) event observed by IS⊙IS’s Energetic Particle Instrument-Low (EPI-Lo) inside 0.18 au on 2020 September 30. This small SEP event has a very interesting time profile and ion composition. Our results show that the maximum energy and peak in intensity are observed mainly along the open radial magnetic field. The event shows velocity dispersion, and strong particle anisotropies are observed throughout the event, showing that more particles are streaming outward from the Sun. We do not see a shock in the in situ plasma or magnetic field data throughout the event. Heavy ions, such as O and Fe, were detected in addition to protons and 4He, but without significant enhancements in 3He or energetic electrons. Our analysis shows that this event is associated with a slow streamer blowout coronal mass ejection (SBO-CME), and the signatures of this small CME event are consistent with those typical of larger CME events. The time–intensity profile of this event shows that the Parker Solar Probe encountered the western flank of the SBO-CME. The anisotropic and dispersive nature of this event in a shockless local plasma gives indications that these particles are most likelymore »accelerated remotely near the Sun by a weak shock or compression wave ahead of the SBO-CME. This event may represent direct observations of the source of the low-energy SEP seed particle population.« less
3. Microphysics of Relativistic Collisionless Electron-ion-positron Shocks

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac713e  

   Grošelj, Daniel ; Sironi, Lorenzo ; Beloborodov, Andrei M. ( July 2022 , The Astrophysical Journal)

   We perform particle-in-cell simulations to elucidate the microphysics of relativistic weakly magnetized shocks loaded with electron-positron pairs. Various external magnetizationsσ≲ 10⁻⁴and pair-loading factorsZ_±≲ 10 are studied, whereZ_±is the number of loaded electrons and positrons per ion. We find the following: (1) The shock becomes mediated by the ion Larmor gyration in the mean field whenσexceeds a critical valueσ_Lthat decreases withZ_±. Atσ≲σ_Lthe shock is mediated by particle scattering in the self-generated microturbulent fields, the strength and scale of which decrease withZ_±, leading to lowerσ_L. (2) The energy fraction carried by the post-shock pairs is robustly in the range between 20% and 50% of the upstream ion energy. The mean energy per post-shock electron scales as${\overline{E}}_{\mathrm{e}}\propto {\left(Z_{\pm }+1\right)}^{-1}$. (3) Pair loading suppresses nonthermal ion acceleration at magnetizations as low asσ≈ 5 × 10⁻⁶. The ions then become essentially thermal with mean energy${\overline{E}}_{\mathrm{i}}$, while electrons form a nonthermal tail, extending from$E\sim {\left(Z_{\pm }+1\right)}^{-1}{\overline{E}}_{\mathrm{i}}$to${\overline{E}}_{\mathrm{i}}$. Whenσ= 0, particle acceleration is enhanced by the formation of intense magnetic cavities that populate the precursor during the late stages of shock evolution. Here,more »the maximum energy of the nonthermal ions and electrons keeps growing over the duration of the simulation. Alongside the simulations, we develop theoretical estimates consistent with the numerical results. Our findings have important implications for models of early gamma-ray burst afterglows.

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4. Synchrotron Firehose Instability

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acaf54  

   Zhdankin, Vladimir ; Kunz, Matthew W. ; Uzdensky, Dmitri A. ( February 2023 , The Astrophysical Journal)

   We demonstrate using linear theory and particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations that a synchrotron-cooling collisionless plasma acquires pressure anisotropy and, if the plasma beta is sufficiently high, becomes unstable to the firehose instability, in a process that we dub the synchrotron firehose instability (SFHI). The SFHI channels free energy from the pressure anisotropy of the radiating, relativistic electrons (and/or positrons) into small-amplitude, kinetic-scale, magnetic-field fluctuations, which pitch-angle scatter the particles and bring the plasma to a near-thermal state of marginal instability. The PIC simulations reveal a nonlinear cyclic evolution of firehose bursts interspersed by periods of stable cooling. We compare the SFHI for electron–positron and electron–ion plasmas. As a byproduct of the growing electron-firehose magnetic-field fluctuations, magnetized ions gain a pressure anisotropy opposite to that of the electrons. If these ions are relativistically hot, we find that they also experience cooling due to collisionless thermal coupling with the electrons, which we argue is mediated by a secondary ion-cyclotron instability. We suggest that the SFHI may be activated in a number of astrophysical scenarios, such as within ejecta from black hole accretion flows and relativistic jets, where the redistribution of energetic electrons from low to high pitch angles may cause transient burstsmore »of radiation.

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5. Fluid simulations of cosmic ray-modified shocks

   https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab1926  

   Tsung, Tsun Hin ; Oh, S Peng ; Jiang ( July 2021 , Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society)

   ABSTRACT Cosmic ray (CR)-modified shocks are a demanding test of numerical codes. We use them to test and validate the two-moment method for CR hydrodynamics, as well as characterize the realism of CR shock acceleration in two-fluid simulations which inevitably arises. Previously, numerical codes were unable to incorporate streaming in this demanding regime, and have never been compared against analytic solutions. First, we find a new analytic solution highly discrepant in acceleration efficiency from the standard solution. It arises from bi-directional streaming of CRs away from the subshock, similar to a Zeldovich spike in radiative shocks. Since fewer CRs diffuse back upstream, this favours a much lower acceleration efficiency, typically ${\lesssim}10{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ (even for Mach number > 10) as opposed to ${\gtrsim}50{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ found in previous analytic work. At Mach number ≳10, the new solution bifurcates into three branches, with efficient, intermediate, and inefficient CR acceleration. Our two-moment code accurately recovers these solutions across the entire parameter space probed, with no ad hoc closure relations. For generic initial conditions, the inefficient branch is robustly chosen by the code; the intermediate branch is unstable. The preferred branch is very weakly modified by CRs. At high Mach numbersmore »(≳10), the gas jump conditions approach that of a purely hydrodynamic shock, and a sub-grid prescription for thermal injection is required for reasonable acceleration efficiencies ${\sim}10{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$. CR-modified shocks have very long equilibration times (∼1000 diffusion time) required to develop the precursor, which must be resolved by ≳10 cells for convergence. Non-equilibrium effects, poor resolution, and obliquity of the magnetic field all reduce CR acceleration efficiency. Shocks in galaxy-scale simulations will generally contribute little to CR acceleration without sub-grid modification.« less