Physics of Weibel-mediated relativistic collisionless shocks

M. Lemoine; L. Gremillet; G. Pelletier; A. Vanthieghem

doi:10.1103/physrevlett.123.035101

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arXiv · 1907.07595

Physics of Weibel-mediated relativistic collisionless shocks

M. Lemoine·L. Gremillet·G. Pelletier·A. Vanthieghem

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Abstract

We develop a comprehensive theoretical model of relativistic collisionless pair shocks mediated by the current filamentation instability. We notably characterize the noninertial frame in which this instability is of a mostly magnetic nature, and describe at a microscopic level the deceleration and heating of the incoming background plasma through its collisionless interaction with the electromagnetic turbulence. Our model compares well to large-scale 2D3V PIC simulations, and provides an important touchstone for the phenomenology of such plasma systems.

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M. Lemoine, L. Gremillet, G. Pelletier, A. Vanthieghem. 2019-07-17. Physics of Weibel-mediated relativistic collisionless shocks. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.123.035101

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