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arXiv 0709.0972astro-ph
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相对论激波点的电子能量分布:来自天鹅座A热点的观测约束

Electron Energy Distributions at Relativistic Shock Sites: Observational Constraints from the Cygnus A Hotspots

C. C. Cheung, L. Stawarz, D. E. Harris, M. Ostrowski

摘要:

我们报告了斯皮策太空望远镜在4.5和8.0微米处对天鹅座A热点的新探测。结合已发表的详细的射电观测和同步加速器自康普顿模型,我们重建了两个最亮热点(A和D)的基本电子能谱。电子分布的低能量部分具有平坦的幂律斜率(s~1.5),直到几乎完全对应于质子和电子之间的质量比的断裂能量;我们认为这些特征最有可能是内在的,而不是由于吸收效应。在突破之后,电子光谱继续以非常陡峭的斜率s>3向更高的能量发展。因此,没有证据表明在整个可观测的电子能量范围内,一阶费米型冲击的“正则”斜率为2。我们讨论了这些意见的意义和洞察力提供到高能粒子加速过程中轻度相对论冲击。

英文摘要:

We report new detections of the hotspots in Cygnus A at 4.5 and 8.0 microns with the Spitzer Space Telescope. Together with detailed published radio observations and synchrotron self-Compton modeling of previous X-ray detections, we reconstruct the underlying electron energy spectra of the two brightest hotspots (A and D). The low-energy portion of the electron distributions have flat power-law slopes (s~1.5) up to the break energy which corresponds almost exactly to the mass ratio between protons and electrons; we argue that these features are most likely intrinsic rather than due to absorption effects. Beyond the break, the electron spectra continue to higher energies with very steep slopes s>3. Thus, there is no evidence for the `canonical' s=2 slope expected in 1st order Fermi-type shocks within the whole observable electron energy range. We discuss the significance of these observations and the insight offered into high-energy particle acceleration processes in mildly relativistic shocks.

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