We investigate the diffusive shock acceleration in the presence of the non-resonant streaming instability introduced by Bell (2004). The numerical MHD simulations of the magnetic field amplification combined with the analytical treatment of cosmic ray acceleration permit us to calculate the maximum energy of particles accelerated by high-velocity supernova shocks. The estimates for Cas A, Kepler, SN1006, and Tycho historical supernova remnants are given. We also found that the amplified magnetic field is preferentially oriented perpendicular to the shock front downstream of the fast shock. This explains the origin of the radial magnetic fields observed in young supernova remnants.
The linear theory of shock acceleration predicts the maximum particle energy to be limited only by the acceleration time and the size of the shock. We study the combined effect of acceleration nonlinearity (shock modification by accelerated particles, that must be present in strong astrophysical shocks) and propagation of Alfven waves that are responsible for particle confinement to the shock front. We show that wave refraction to larger wave numbers in the nonlinearly modified flow causes enhanced losses of particles in the momentum range p_max/R < p < p_max, where R>1 is the nonlinear pre-co…
We analyse the results of recent measurements of nonthermal emission from individual supernova remnants (SNRs) and their correspondence to the nonlinear kinetic theory of cosmic ray (CR) acceleration in SNRs. It is shown that the theory fits these data in a satisfactory way and provides the strong evidences for the efficient CR production in SNRs accompanied by significant magnetic field amplification. Magnetic field amplification leads to considerable increase of CR maximum energy so that the spectrum of CRs accelerated in SNRs is consistent with the requirements for the formation of Galactic…
In present study I examine the capability of diffusive shock acceleration mechanism to explain existing data on radio emission from evolved large diameter shell-type adiabatic supernova remnants (SNRs). Time-dependent ''onion-shell'' model for the radio emission of SNRs is developed, which is based on the assumptions: a) acceleration takes place from thermal energies and test-particle approximation is valid; b) the problem of injection is avoided by introducing, like Bell (1978), two injection parameters; c) to take into consideration very late stages of SNR evolution the analytic approximatio…
Evidence is accumulating suggesting that collisionless shocks in supernova remnants (SNRs) can amplify the interstellar magnetic field to hundreds of microgauss or even milli-gauss levels, as recently claimed for SNR RX J1713.7-3946. If these fields exist, they are almost certainly created by magnetic field amplification (MFA) associated with the efficient production of cosmic rays by diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) and their existence strengthens the case for SNRs being the primary source of galactic cosmic ray ions to the `knee' and beyond. However, the high magnetic field values in SNRs …
It is shown that amplification of the magnetic field in supernova remnants (SNRs) occurs in all six objects where morphological measurements are presently available in the hard X-ray continuum at several keV. For the three archetypical objects (SN 1006, Cas A and Tycho's SNR) to which nonlinear time-dependent acceleration theory has been successfully applied up to now, the global theoretical and the local observational field strengths agree very well, suggesting in addition that all young SNRs exhibit the amplification effect as a result of very efficient acceleration of nuclear cosmic rays (C…
While the definitive detection of gamma-rays from known supernova remnants (SNRs) remains elusive, the collection of unidentified EGRET sources that may be associated with SNRs has motivated recent modelling of TeV emission from these sources. Current theoretical models use power-law shock-accelerated protons and electrons in their predictions of expected gamma-ray TeV fluxes from those unidentified EGRET sources with remnant associations. In this paper, we explore a more detailed non-linear shock acceleration model, which generates non-thermal proton distributions and includes a self-consiste…
We present new determination of the birth rate of AXPs and SGRS and their associated SNRs. We find a high birth rate of 1/(500 yr) for AXPs/SGRs and 1/(1700 yr) for associated SNRs. These high rates suggest that all massive stars (greater than ~ 25 M_sun) give rise to remnants with magnetar-like fields. Recent observations indicate that fossil fields cannot explain such high fields in the progenitor stars. Dynamo mechanisms during the birth of the neutron stars require spin rates much faster than either observations or theory indicate. Here, we propose the neutron stars form with normal (~ 10^…
It is shown that the nonlinear kinetic theory of cosmic ray (CR) acceleration in supernova remnants (SNRs) describes the shell-type nonthermal X-ray morphology of Cas A, obtained in Chandra observations, in a satisfactory way. The set of empirical parameters, like distance, source size and total energy release, is the same which reproduces the dynamical properties of the SNR and the spectral characteristics of the emission produced by CRs. The extremely small spatial scales in the observed morphological structures at hard X-ray energies are due to a large effective magnetic field $B_d \sim 500…
It is shown that the nonlinear kinetic model of cosmic ray (CR) acceleration in supernova remnants (SNRs) fits the shell-type nonthermal X-ray morphology, obtained in Chandra observations, in a satisfactory way. The set of empirical parameters is the same which reproduces the dynamical properties of the SNR and the spectral characteristics of the emission produced by CRs. The extremely small spatial scales of the observed X-ray distribution are due to the large effective magnetic field $B_{\mathrm d}\sim 100$ $μ$G in the interior, which is also required to give a good fit for the spatially int…
We present a 3-dimensional model of supernova remnants (SNRs) where the hydrodynamical evolution of the remnant is modeled consistently with nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration occuring at the outer blast wave. The model includes particle escape and diffusion outside of the forward shock, and particle interactions with arbitrary distributions of external ambient material, such as molecular clouds. We include synchrotron emission and cooling, bremsstrahlung radiation, neutral pion production, inverse-Compton (IC), and Coulomb energy-loss. Boardband spectra have been calculated for typical pa…
We introduce a Monte Carlo model of nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration allowing for the generation of large-amplitude magnetic turbulence. The model is the first to include strong wave generation, efficient particle acceleration to relativistic energies in nonrelativistic shocks, and thermal particle injection in an internally self-consistent manner. We find that the upstream magnetic field can be amplified by large factors and show that this amplification depends strongly on the ambient Alfven Mach number. We also show that in the nonlinear model large increases in the magnetic field do n…
The highly amplified magnetic fields suggested by observations of some supernova remnant (SNR) shells are most likely an intrinsic part of efficient particle acceleration by shocks. This strong turbulence, which may result from cosmic ray driven instabilities, both resonant and non-resonant, in the shock precursor, is certain to play a critical role in self-consistent, nonlinear models of strong, cosmic ray modified shocks. Here we present a Monte Carlo model of nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) accounting for magnetic field amplification through resonant instabilities induced by ac…
The strong shocks in young supernova remnants (SNRs) should accelerate cosmic rays (CRs) and no doubt exists that relativistic electrons are produced in SNRs. However, direct evidence that SNRs produce CR nuclei depends on seeing an unambiguous pion-decay feature and this has not yet been obtained. Nevertheless, the lack of an observed pion-decay feature does not necessarily mean that CR ions are not abundantly produced since ions do not radiate efficiently. If CR ions are produced efficiently by diffusive shock acceleration (DSA), their presence will modify the hydrodynamics of the SNR and pr…
Cosmic-ray production in young supernova remnant (SNR) shocks is expected to be efficient and strongly nonlinear. In nonlinear, diffusive shock acceleration, compression ratios will be higher and the shocked temperature lower than test-particle, Rankine-Hugoniot relations predict. Furthermore, the heating of the gas to X-ray emitting temperatures is strongly coupled to the acceleration of cosmic-ray electrons and ions, thus nonlinear processes which modify the shock, influence the emission over the entire band from radio to gamma-rays and may have a strong impact on X-ray line models. Here we …
The evolution of the radio emission of shell-type Supernova remnants (SNRs) is modeled within the framework of the simple and commonly used assumptions that the mechanism of diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) is responsible for generating radio emitting electrons and that the magnetic field is the typical interstellar field compressed at the shock. It is considered that electrons are injected into the mechanism in test-particle regime directly from the high energy tail of the downstream Maxwellian distribution function. The model can be applied to most of the observed SNRs. It is shown that th…
The strong shocks in young supernova remnants (SNRs) should accelerate cosmic rays (CRs) and no doubt exists that \rel electrons are produced in SNRs. However, direct and convincing evidence that SNRs produce CR nuclei has not yet been obtained and may, in fact, be long in coming if current gamma-ray observatories do not see an unambiguous pion-decay feature. Nevertheless, the lack of an observed pion-decay feature does not necessarily mean that CR ions are not abundantly produced since ions do not radiate efficiently. If CR ions are produced efficiently by diffusive shock acceleration (DSA), …
For more than fifty years, it has been believed that cosmic ray (CR) nuclei are accelerated to high energies in the rapidly expanding shockwaves created by powerful supernova explosions. Yet observational proof of this conjecture is still lacking. Recently, Uchiyama and collaborators reported the detection of small-scale X-ray flares in one such supernova remnant, dubbed 'RX J1713-3946' (a.k.a. G347.3-0.5), which also emits very energetic, TeV (10^12 eV) range, gamma-rays. They contend that the variability of these X-ray 'hotspots' implies that the magnetic field in the remnant is about a hund…
A number of supernova remnants (SNRs) show nonthermal X-rays assumed to be synchrotron emission from shock accelerated TeV electrons. The existence of these TeV electrons strongly suggests that the shocks in SNRs are sources of galactic cosmic rays (CRs). In addition, there is convincing evidence from broad-band studies of individual SNRs and elsewhere that the particle acceleration process in SNRs can be efficient and nonlinear. If SNR shocks are efficient particle accelerators, the production of CRs impacts the thermal properties of the shock heated, X-ray emitting gas and the SNR evolution.…
The outer shells of young supernova remnants (SNRs) are the most plausible acceleration sites of high-energy electrons with the diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) mechanism. We studied spatial and spectral properties close to the shock fronts in four historical SNRs (Cas A, Kepler's remnant, Tycho's remnant, and RCW 86) with excellent spatial resolution of {\it Chandra}. In all of the SNRs, hard X-ray emissions were found on the rims of the SNRs, which concentrate in very narrow regions (so-called "filaments"); apparent scale widths on the upstream side are below or in the order of the point s…
Observations of synchrotron radiation across a wide range of wavelengths provide clear evidence that electrons are accelerated to relativistic energies in supernova remnants (SNRs). However, a viable mechanism for the pre-acceleration of such electrons to mildly relativistic energies has not yet been established. In this paper an electromagnetic particle-in-cell (PIC) code is used to simulate acceleration of electrons from background energies to tens of keV at perpendicular collisionless shocks associated with SNRs. Free energy for electron energization is provided by ions reflected from the s…
A number of nearby Northern Hemisphere shell-type Supernova Remnants (SNRs) has been observed in TeV gamma rays, but none of them could be detected so far. This failure calls for a critical reevaluation of the theoretical arguments for gamma-ray emission of SNRs. The present paper discusses diffusive shock acceleration in shell-type SNRs in full kinetic theory. Emphasis is also given to the possible problems for VHE gamma-ray production due to the environmental conditions a SN progenitor finds itself in. Observational upper limits are compared with theoretical predictions for the gamma-ray flu…
The contribution of Source Cosmic Rays (SCRs), accelerated and still confined in Supernova Remnants (SNRs), to the diffuse high energy \gr emission above 1 GeV from the Galactic disk is studied. The \grs produced by the SCRs have a much harder spectrum than those generated by the Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs). Extending a previous paper, a simple SNR population synthesis is considered and the Inverse Compton emission from the SCR electrons is evaluated in greater detail. Then the combined spectrum of \gr emission from the Galactic Supernova Remnant population is calculated and this emission at l…
Cosmic rays (CRs) are thought to be accelerated in SNRs. The most favorable situation for proving that the main, hadronic CR component is accelerated there is when CRs interact with dense gases, such as molecular clouds (MC) which surround the SN shock. Here, a new mechanism of spectrum formation in partially ionized gases near SNRs is proposed. Using an analytic model of nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration, we calculate the spectra of protons and estimate the resulting $γ$-ray emission occurring when the SNR shock approaches a MC. We show that the spectrum develops a break in the TeV range…
In the framework of test-particle and cosmic-ray modified hydrodynamics, we calculate synchrotron emission radial profiles in young ejecta-dominated supernova remnants (SNRs) evolving in an ambient medium which is uniform in density and magnetic field. We find that, even without any magnetic field amplification by Raleigh-Taylor instabilities, the radio synchrotron emission peaks at the contact discontinuity because the magnetic field is compressed and is larger there than at the forward shock. The X-ray synchrotron emission sharply drops behind the forward shock as the highest energy electron…
Stationary solutions to the equations of non-linear diffusive shock acceleration play a fundamental role in the theory of cosmic-ray acceleration. Their existence usually requires that a fraction of the accelerated particles be allowed to escape from the system. Because the scattering mean-free-path is thought to be an increasing function of energy, this condition is conventionally implemented as an upper cut-off in energy space -- particles are then permitted to escape from any part of the system, once their energy exceeds this limit. However, because accelerated particles are responsible for…
Without amplification, magnetic fields in expanding ejecta of young supernova remnants (SNRs) will be orders of magnitude below those required to shock accelerate thermal electrons, or ions, to relativistic energies or to produce radio synchrotron emission at the reverse shock. The reported observations of such emission give support to the idea that diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) can amplify magnetic fields by large factors. Furthermore, the uncertain character of the amplification process leaves open the possibility that ejecta fields, while large enough to support radio emission and DSA,…
We have extended a simple model of nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration (Berezhko and Ellison 1999) to include the injection and acceleration of electrons and the production of photons from bremsstrahlung, synchrotron, inverse-Compton, and pion-decay processes. We argue that the results of this model, which is simpler to use than more elaborate ones, offer a significant improvement over test-particle, power-law spectra which are often used in astrophysical applications of diffusive shock acceleration. With an evolutionary supernova remnant (SNR) model to obtain shock parameters as functions …
Diffusive shock acceleration in the environs of a remnant's expanding shell is a popular candidate for the origin of SNR gamma-rays. In this paper, results from our study of non-linear effects in shock acceleration theory and their impact on the gamma-ray spectra of SNRs are presented. These effects describe the dynamical influence of the accelerated cosmic rays on the shocked plasma at the same time as addressing how the non-uniformities in the fluid flow force the distribution of the cosmic rays to deviate from pure power-laws. Such deviations are crucial to gamma-ray spectral determination.…
The 10^51 ergs released in a supernova have far reaching consequences in the galaxy, determining elemental abundances, accelerating cosmic rays, and affecting the makeup of the interstellar medium. Recently the spectra of several supernova remnants have been found to be dominated by nonthermal emission. Separating the thermal and nonthermal components is important not only for the understanding of cosmic-ray acceleration and shock microphysics properties but for accurate assessment of the temperatures and line strengths. New models designed to model spatially resolved synchrotron X-rays from t…
A nonlinear kinetic theory of cosmic ray (CR) acceleration in supernova remnants (SNRs) is employed to investigate the properties of SNR RX J1713.7-3946. Observations of the nonthermal radio and X-ray emission spectra as well as the H.E.S.S. measurements of the very high energy gamma-ray emission are used to constrain the astronomical and the particle acceleration parameters of the system. Under the assumptions that RX J1713.7-3946 was a core collapse supernova (SN) of type II/Ib with a massive progenitor, has an age of \approx 1600 yr and is at a distance of \approx 1 kpc, the theory gives in…
The study of dynamo action in astrophysical objects classically involves two timescales: the slow diffusive one and the fast advective one. We investigate the possibility of field amplification on an intermediate timescale associated with time dependent modulations of the flow. We consider a simple steady configuration for which dynamo action is not realised. We study the effect of time dependent perturbations of the flow. We show that some vanishing low frequency perturbations can yield exponential growth of the magnetic field on the typical time scale of oscillation. The dynamo mechanism rel…
Supernova remnants (SNRs) are believed to be the primary location of the acceleration of Galactic cosmic rays, via diffusive shock (Fermi) acceleration. Despite considerable theoretical work the precise details are still unknown, in part because of the difficulty in directly observing nucleons that are accelerated to TeV energies in, and affect the structure of, the SNR shocks. However, for the last ten years, X-ray observatories ASCA, and more recently Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Suzaku have made it possible to image the synchrotron emission at keV energies produced by cosmic-ray electrons accel…
Recent observations of non-thermal X-rays from supernova remnants have been attributed to synchrotron radiation from the loss-steepened tail of a non-thermal distribution of electrons accelerated at the remnant blast wave. In diffusive shock acceleration, the maximum particle energy depends on the energy-dependence of the diffusion coefficient kappa. Most work on shock acceleration has made the plausible assumption that kappa is proportional to the particle gyroradius, implying a wavelength-independent spectrum of MHD turbulence, where Kolmogorov or Kraichnan spectra might be more physically p…
