arXiv subjects

J. G. Kirk

Publications and source records attributed to J. G. Kirk.

60 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv1996

On the production of very high energy beamed gamma-rays in blazars

The variable flux of TeV gamma-rays detected from Mkn 421 and Mkn 501 requires the presence of high energy electrons, which could in principle produce large numbers of electron/positron pairs, leading to an electromagnetic cascade. We point out that this scenario can be avoided if electrons are accelerated to high energy rectilinearly, rather than being injected isotropically into a blob, as in most of the models of the GeV gamma-ray emission. By balancing linear acceleration by an electric field against inverse Compton losses in the radiation field of the accretion disk we calculate the emitted spectra and find the conditions which must be fulfilled in order to exclude the development of electromagnetic cascades during acceleration. Assuming these to be fulfilled, we show that the maximum possible photon energy is approximately $10M_8^{2/5}\,$TeV, where $M_8$ is the mass of the central black hole in units of $10^8\,\msolar$. In addition we compute the optical depth to absorption of TeV photons on a possible isotropic scattered component and on the observed nonthermal radiation (in the case of Mkn 421) and find that TeV photons can escape provided the nonthermal X-rays originate in a jet moving with a Lorentz factor of around 8.

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arXiv1995

The Acceleration of Electrons In Radio Supernova SN1986J

We propose a model for radio supernovae (RSN) based on the synchrotron emission from relativistic electrons which are diffusively accelerated at the expanding supernova shock. This model was originally developed for application to the optically thin emission observed from SN1987A. Here we generalise it by including the effects of free-free absorption from both an external screen and from material internal to the source, and by relaxing the restriction to an azimuthal B-field. We find a good fit to the entire set of radio data for the best observed highly-luminous RSN -- SN1986J -- with a reduced χ^2 of 3.85. Applying the new model to SN1988Z, another intrinsically bright RSN, also yields a good fit (χ^2_{\rm red}\approx 2) but this is less significant, because of the limited data on this distant (z=0.02) source. These fits suggest that the shock expands at constant speed, that the magnetic field within the source decreases with time according to t^{-2}, and that the compression ratio of the shock front is close to the value expected of a strong shock in an ideal gas of adiabatic index 5/3 -- indicating a relatively low value of the cosmic ray pressure compared with SN1987A. In the case of SN1986J we derive an explosion date in August/September 1982, a magnetic field at the position of the shock 1000 days after explosion of 4nT and a spatial diffusion coefficient of the electrons of 4 10^{19} cm^2/s, four orders of magnitude greater than the Bohm value. In addition, we obtain the optical depths to external and internal absorption, and derive an estimate of the mass-loss rate.

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arXiv1995

Anomalous Transport and Particle Acceleration at Shocks

The theory of first order Fermi acceleration at shocks assumes that particles diffuse due to scattering off slow-moving magnetic irregularities. However, cosmic rays are closely tied to magnetic field lines, and the transport process, particularly across the direction of the field, is likely to be more complicated. To describe cross field transport we employ recent extensions of the Rechester-Rosenbluth theory in localised stochastic regions of magnetic field. During acceleration at a shock and when the motion along the field is diffusive, there is a transition at a critical energy from \lq\lq sub-diffusive\rq\rq\ motion, where the mean square displacement of a particle increases with time as $t^{1/2}$, to compound diffusion, a combined process involving diffusion along a magnetic field which is itself wandering. Requiring this critical energy to be less than the system cut-off in a SNR of radius $R$ places an upper limit on the coherence length, $λ$, of the magnetic field for which diffusive shock acceleration can occur at quasi-perpendicular shocks when field line wandering dominates the effective transport of particles: $λ<R(U/v)^{1/2}$ where $U$ is the shock speed and $v$ the particle speed. The acceleration rate for particles in the sub-diffusive regime is derived and its implication for the origin of high energy cosmic rays is discussed.

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arXiv1995

A MODEL FOR THE RADIO EMISSION FROM SNR 1987A

The observations of radio emission from SNR~1987A can be accounted for on the basis of diffusive shock acceleration of electrons by the supernova blast wave. However, with this interpretation the observed spectral index implies that the compression ratio of the gas subshock is roughly $2.7$ rather than the value of $4$ expected of a strong shock front. We propose that in SNR~1987A, ions also undergo diffusive acceleration at the shock, a process that is likely to be rapid. Unlike the electron population, the accelerated ions can have an important effect on the gas dynamics. We calculate this coupled gas and energetic particle dynamics on the basis of the two-fluid model, in which the accelerated ions provide an additional component to the total pressure acting on the fluid. By accelerating and possibly heating the upstream plasma, the initially strong shock is modified and a weaker subshock with an upstream precursor results. The electrons behave as test particles. They are accelerated at the evolving subshock, escape downstream, and emit synchrotron radiation in the swept up magnetic field. Two models are considered for the surroundings of the progenitor: that of a freely expanding wind of number density $n\propto r^{-2}$, and that of a wind confined by a shell of denser material, creating a stagnation zone of roughly constant density beyond the standing shock which terminates the free wind. We model the observed radio light curves and the relatively steep spectrum of SNR~1987A using similar values for the ion acceleration parameters to those used in models of cosmic ray acceleration in older SNRs which can also contain high Mach number shocks, and find a good fit for the case in which the termination shock is located at about $2\times 10^{15}\,$m from the progenitor.

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arXiv1994

Radio Supernovae as Tev Gamma-Ray Sources

When applied to the blast wave formed by the explosion of a massive star as a supernova (SN), the theory of diffusive particle acceleration at shock fronts predicts a very high energy density in cosmic rays. Almost immediately after particles begin to be injected into the process, the cosmic ray pressure rises until comparable to the ram-pressure encountered by the shock front. Those supernovae which are observed in the radio band i.e., radio supernovae (RSNe), provide direct evidence of particle acceleration in the form of synchrotron emitting electrons. Furthermore, these objects are particularly interesting, since they are usually surrounded by a relatively dense confining medium. The acceleration of cosmic rays can then lead to the production of very high energy (VHE) gamma-rays which arise from collisions between energetic particles and target nuclei. We estimate the cosmic ray energy density assuming a fraction $ϕ\lesim1$ of the energy available at the shock front is converted into cosmic rays. Combining this with the parameters describing the environment of the SN progenitor, as deduced from observations, and from more detailed modelling, we compute the flux at Earth $\tevflux$ of photons of energy above $1\,$TeV. For the relatively weak but nearby supernova SN1987A we predict $\tevflux=2\times10^{-13}\,\fluxunits$ before the shock front encounters the ring of dense matter seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. Subsequently, the flux is expected to rise further. The medium around SN1993J in M81 is thought to have a density

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arXiv1994

Gamma-Rays from the Funnels of Thick Accretion Disks Around Active Galactic Nuclei

We analyse the propagation of particles in the narrow funnel of a thick accretion disk. It is assumed that: (1) the funnel walls emit black body radiation with temperature decreasing outwards; (2) the magnetic and electric fields are longitudinal in the funnel. Such a scenario is consistent with models in which a large potential drop is induced by a rotating massive black hole threaded by a magnetic field (Blandford & Znajek 1977, Macdonald & Thorne 1982). The interaction of relativistic protons with thermal photons from the funnel results in direct production of pairs and/or pions. We discuss the relative importance of these processes for different conditions in the funnel (temperature and electric field profiles). Injected pairs interact with thermal photons in the Thomson or Klein-Nishina regime. Under some conditions, a pair avalanche results, which we assume saturates in the production of stable bunches, containing almost equal numbers of electrons and positrons. As a consequence, highly collimated gamma-ray photons are produced. We obtain gamma-ray spectra from our model in order to test its applicability to the gamma-ray emitting AGNs recently reported by EGRET.

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