http://arxiv.org/abs/1910.13370
Magnetized jets in GRBs and AGNs are thought to be efficient accelerators of particles, however the process responsible for the acceleration is still a matter of active debate. In this work, we study the kink-instability in non-rotating force-free jets using first-principle particle-in-cell simulations. We obtain similar overall evolution of the instability as found in MHD simulations. The instability first generates large scale current sheets, which at later times break up into small-scale turbulence. Reconnection in these sheets proceeds in the strong guide field regime, which results in a formation of steep power-laws in the particle spectra. Later evolution shows heating of the plasma which is driven by weak turbulence induced by the kink instability. These two processes energize particles due to a combination of ideal and non-ideal electric fields.
J. Davelaar, A. Philippov, O. Bromberg, et. al.
Wed, 30 Oct 19
45/77
Comments: 10 pages, 5 figures, submitted