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This is a correction notice for ‘Post-adiabatic supernova remnants in an interstellar magnetic field: oblique shocks and non-uniform environment’ (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/sty1750), which was published in MNRAS 479, 4253–4270 (2018). The publisher regrets to inform that the colour was missing from the colour scales in Figs 8(a)–(d) and Figs 9(a) and (b). This has now been corrected online. The publisher apologizes for this error.
Many solar wind observations at 1 au indicate that the proton (as well as electron) temperature anisotropy is limited. The data distribution in the (A(a), beta(a),(parallel to))-plane have a rhombic-shaped form around beta(a),(parallel to) similar to 1. The boundaries of the temperature anisotropy at beta(a),(parallel to) > 1 can be well explained by the threshold conditions of the mirror (whistler) and oblique proton (electron) firehose instabilities in a bi-Maxwellian plasma, whereas the physical mechanism of the similar restriction at beta(a),(parallel to) < 1 is still under debate. One possible option is Coulomb collisions, which we revisit in the current work. We derive the relaxation rate nu(A)(aa) of the temperature anisotropy in a bi-Maxwellian plasma that we then study analytically and by observed proton data from WIND. We found that nu(A)(pp) increases toward small beta(p),(parallel to) < 1. We matched the data distribution in the (A(p), beta(p),(parallel to))-plane with the constant contour nu(A)(pp) = 2.8 . 10(-6) s(-1), corresponding to the minimum value for collisions to play a role. This contour fits rather well the left boundary of the rhombic-shaped data distribution in the (A(p), beta(p),(parallel to))-plane. Thus, Coulomb collisions are an interesting candidate for explaining the limitations of the temperature anisotropy in the solar wind with small beta(a),(parallel to) < 1 at 1 au.
A Search for Pulsed Very High-energy Gamma-Rays from 13 Young Pulsars in Archival VERITAS Data
(2019)
We conduct a search for periodic emission in the very high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray band (E > 100 GeV) from a total of 13 pulsars in an archival VERITAS data set with a total exposure of over 450 hr. The set of pulsars includes many of the brightest young gamma-ray pulsars visible in the Northern Hemisphere. The data analysis resulted in nondetections of pulsed VHE gamma-rays from each pulsar. Upper limits on a potential VHE gamma-ray flux are derived at the 95% confidence level above three energy thresholds using two methods. These are the first such searches for pulsed VHE emission from each of the pulsars, and the obtained limits constrain a possible flux component manifesting at VHEs as is seen for the Crab pulsar.
The angular size of a star is a critical factor in determining its basic properties1. Direct measurement of stellar angular diameters is difficult: at interstellar distances stars are generally too small to resolve by any individual imaging telescope. This fundamental limitation can be overcome by studying the diffraction pattern in the shadow cast when an asteroid occults a star2, but only when the photometric uncertainty is smaller than the noise added by atmospheric scintillation3. Atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes used for particle astrophysics observations have not generally been exploited for optical astronomy due to the modest optical quality of the mirror surface. However, their large mirror area makes them well suited for such high-time-resolution precision photometry measurements4. Here we report two occultations of stars observed by the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS)5 Cherenkov telescopes with millisecond sampling, from which we are able to provide a direct measurement of the occulted stars’ angular diameter at the ≤0.1 mas scale. This is a resolution never achieved before with optical measurements and represents an order of magnitude improvement over the equivalent lunar occultation method6. We compare the resulting stellar radius with empirically derived estimates from temperature and brightness measurements, confirming the latter can be biased for stars with ambiguous stellar classifications.
Nonthermal emission from the reverse shock of the youngest galactic supernova remnant G1.9+0.3
(2019)
Context. The youngest Galactic supernova remnant G1.9+0.3 is an interesting target for next-generation gamma-ray observatories. So far, the remnant is only detected in the radio and the X-ray bands, but its young age of approximate to 100 yr and inferred shock speed of approximate to 14 000 km s(-1) could make it an efficient particle accelerator. Aims. We aim to model the observed radio and X-ray spectra together with the morphology of the remnant. At the same time, we aim to estimate the gamma-ray flux from the source and evaluate the prospects of its detection with future gamma-ray experiments. Methods. We performed spherical symmetric 1D simulations with the RATPaC code, in which we simultaneously solved the transport equation for cosmic rays, the transport equation for magnetic turbulence, and the hydro-dynamical equations for the gas flow. Separately computed distributions of the particles accelerated at the forward and the reverse shock were then used to calculate the spectra of synchrotron, inverse Compton, and pion-decay radiation from the source. Results. The emission from G1.9+0.3 can be self-consistently explained within the test-particle limit. We find that the X-ray flux is dominated by emission from the forward shock while most of the radio emission originates near the reverse shock, which makes G1.9+0.3 the first remnant with nonthermal radiation detected from the reverse shock. The flux of very-high-energy gamma-ray emission from G1.9+0.3 is expected to be close to the sensitivity threshold of the Cherenkov Telescope Array. The limited time available to grow large-scale turbulence limits the maximum energy of particles to values below 100 TeV, hence G1.9+0.3 is not a PeVatron.
Precursor Wave Amplification by Ion-Electron Coupling through Wakefield in Relativistic Shocks
(2019)
We investigated electromagnetic precursor wave emission in relativistic shocks by using two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. We found that the wave amplitude is significantly enhanced by a positive feedback process associated with ion-electron coupling through the wakefields for high magnetization. The wakefields collapse during the nonlinear process of the parametric decay instability in the near-upstream region, where nonthermal electrons and ions are generated. The intense coherent emission and the particle acceleration may operate in high-energy astrophysical objects.
We explore electron preacceleration at high-Mach-number nonrelativistic perpendicular shocks at, e.g., young supernova remnants, which are a prerequisite of further acceleration to very high energies via diffusive shock acceleration. Using fully kinetic particle-in-cell simulations of shocks and electron dynamics in them, we investigate the influence of shock-surfing acceleration (SSA) at the shock foot on the nonthermal population of electrons downstream of the shock. The SSA is followed by further energization at the shock ramp where the Weibel instability spawns a type of second-order Fermi acceleration. The combination of these two processes leads to the formation of a nonthermal electron population, but the importance of SSA becomes smaller for larger ion-to-electron mass ratios in the simulation. We discuss the resulting electron spectra and the relevance of our results to the physics of systems with real ion-to-electron mass ratios and fully three-dimensional behavior.