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1. Entropy-Conserving Scheme for Modeling Nonthermal Energies in Fluid Dynamics Simulations

   Semenov, Vadim A.; Kravtsov, Andrey V; Diemer, Benedikt (August 2021, The astrophysical journal)

   null (Ed.)

   We compare the performance of energy-based and entropy-conservative schemes for modeling nonthermal energy components, such as unresolved turbulence and cosmic rays, using idealized fluid dynamics tests and isolated galaxy simulations. While both methods are aimed to model advection and adiabatic compression or expansion of different energy components, the energy-based scheme numerically solves the non-conservative equation for the energy density evolution, while the entropy-conserving scheme uses a conservative equation for modified entropy. Using the standard shock tube and Zel'dovich pancake tests, we show that the energy-based scheme results in a spurious generation of nonthermal energy on shocks, while the entropy-conserving method evolves the energy adiabatically to machine precision. We also show that, in simulations of an isolated Lstar galaxy, switching between the schemes results in ~20-30% changes of the total star formation rate and a significant difference in morphology, particularly near the galaxy center. We also outline and test a simple method that can be used in conjunction with the entropy-conserving scheme to model the injection of nonthermal energies on shocks. Finally, we discuss how the entropy-conserving scheme can be used to capture the kinetic energy dissipated by numerical viscosity into the subgrid turbulent energy implicitly, without explicit source terms that require calibration and can be rather uncertain. Our results indicate that the entropy-conserving scheme is the preferred choice for modeling nonthermal energy components, a conclusion that is equally relevant for Eulerian and moving-mesh fluid dynamics codes. 

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2. Electron Acceleration at Quasi-parallel Nonrelativistic Shocks: A 1D Kinetic Survey

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad7c4c  

   Gupta, Siddhartha; Caprioli, Damiano; Spitkovsky, Anatoly (November 2024, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract We present a survey of 1D kinetic particle-in-cell simulations of quasi-parallel nonrelativistic shocks to identify the environments favorable for electron acceleration. We explore an unprecedented range of shock speedsv_sh≈ 0.067–0.267c, Alfvén Mach numbers ${\mathcal{M}}_{\mathrm{A}}=5–40$, sonic Mach numbers ${\mathcal{M}}_{\mathrm{s}}=5–160$, as well as the proton-to-electron mass ratiosm_i/m_e= 16–1836. We find that high Alfvén Mach number shocks can channel a large fraction of their kinetic energy into nonthermal particles, self-sustaining magnetic turbulence and acceleration to larger and larger energies. The fraction of injected particles is ≲0.5% for electrons and ≈1% for protons, and the corresponding energy efficiencies are ≲2% and ≈10%, respectively. The extent of the nonthermal tail is sensitive to the Alfvén Mach number; when ${\mathcal{M}}_{\mathrm{A}}\lesssim 10$, the nonthermal electron distribution exhibits minimal growth beyond the average momentum of the downstream thermal protons, independently of the proton-to-electron mass ratio. Acceleration is slow for shocks with low sonic Mach numbers, yet nonthermal electrons still achieve momenta exceeding the downstream thermal proton momentum when the shock Alfvén Mach number is large enough. We provide simulation-based parameterizations of the transition from thermal to nonthermal distribution in the downstream (found at a momentum around $p_{\mathrm{i},\mathrm{e}}/m_{\mathrm{i}}{v}_{\mathrm{sh}}\approx 3\sqrt{m_{\mathrm{i},\mathrm{e}}/m_{\mathrm{i}}}$), as well as the ratio of nonthermal electron to proton number density. The results are applicable to many different environments and are important for modeling shock-powered nonthermal radiation. 

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3. Electron Injection via Modified Diffusive Shock Acceleration in High-Mach-number Collisionless Shocks

   https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad0cf9  

   Grassi, A.; Rinderknecht, H. G.; Swadling, G. F.; Higginson, D. P.; Park, H.-S.; Spitkovsky, A.; Fiuza, F. (November 2023, The Astrophysical Journal Letters)

   Abstract The ability of collisionless shocks to efficiently accelerate nonthermal electrons via diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) is thought to require an injection mechanism capable of preaccelerating electrons to high enough energy where they can start crossing the shock front potential. We propose, and show via fully kinetic plasma simulations, that in high-Mach-number shocks electrons can be effectively injected by scattering in kinetic-scale magnetic turbulence produced near the shock transition by the ion Weibel, or current filamentation, instability. We describe this process as a modified DSA mechanism where initially thermal electrons experience the flow velocity gradient in the shock transition and are accelerated via a first-order Fermi process as they scatter back and forth. The electron energization rate, diffusion coefficient, and acceleration time obtained in the model are consistent with particle-in-cell simulations and with the results of recent laboratory experiments where nonthermal electron acceleration was observed. This injection model represents a natural extension of DSA and could account for electron injection in high-Mach-number astrophysical shocks, such as those associated with young supernova remnants and accretion shocks in galaxy clusters. 

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4. Detecting Preheating in Protoclusters with Lyα Forest Tomography

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac4cb1  

   Kooistra, Robin; Inoue, Shigeki; Lee, Khee-Gan; Cen, Renyue; Yoshida, Naoki (March 2022, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract Studies of low-redshift galaxy clusters suggest the intracluster medium (ICM) has experienced nongravitational heating during the formation phase of the clusters. Using simple phenomenological heating prescriptions, we simulate the effect of this preheating of the nascent ICM in galaxy protoclusters and examine its effect on Lyαforest tomographic maps. We analyze a series of cosmological zoom-in simulations of protoclusters within the framework of the Lyαtransmission−dark matter (DM) density distribution. We find that the more energy is injected into the proto-ICM atz= 3, the more the distribution at high DM density tilts toward higher Lyαtransmission. This effect has been confirmed in both low-resolution simulations adopting a preheating scheme based on entropy floors, as well as in higher-resolution simulations with another scheme based on energy floors. The evolution of the slope of this distribution is shown to vary with redshift. The methodology developed here can be applied to current and upcoming Lyαforest tomographic survey data to help constrain feedback models in galaxy protoclusters. 

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5. Constraints on Nonthermal Pressure at Galaxy Cluster Outskirts from a Joint SPT and XMM-Newton Analysis

   https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/adc676  

   Sarkar, Arnab; McDonald, Michael; Bleem, Lindsey; Bautz, Mark; Benson, Bradford A; Chakraborty, Priyanka; Grant, Catherine E; Jones, Christine; Kéruzoré, Florian; Miller, Eric D; et al (May 2025, The Astrophysical Journal Letters)

   Abstract We present joint South Pole Telescope and XMM-Newton observations of eight massive galaxy clusters (0.8–2 × 10¹⁵M_⊙) spanning a redshift range of 0.16–0.35. Employing a novel Sunyaev–Zel’dovich + X-ray fitting technique, we effectively constrain the thermodynamic properties of these clusters out to the virial radius. The resulting best-fit electron density, deprojected temperature, and deprojected pressure profiles are in good agreement with previous observations of massive clusters. For the majority of the cluster sample (five out of eight clusters), the entropy profiles exhibit a self-similar behavior near the virial radius. We further derive hydrostatic mass, gas mass, and gas fraction profiles for all clusters up to the virial radius. Comparing the enclosed gas fraction profiles with the universal gas fraction profile, we obtain nonthermal pressure fraction profiles for our cluster sample at  >0.5R₅₀₀, demonstrating a steeper increase betweenR₅₀₀andR₂₀₀that is consistent with the hydrodynamical simulations. Our analysis yields nonthermal pressure fraction ranges of 8%–28% (median: 15% ± 11%) atR₅₀₀and 21%–35% (median: 27% ± 12%) atR₂₀₀. Notably, weak-lensing mass measurements are available for only four clusters in our sample, and our recovered total cluster masses, after accounting for nonthermal pressure, are consistent with these measurements. 

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