Authors Referees APS Members |
January 2008, to be published in Physical Review E
Efficient electron heating in relativistic shocks and gamma-ray-burst afterglow
Electrons in shocks are efficiently energized due to the cross-shock potential, which develops because of differential deflection of electrons and ions by the magnetic field in the shock front. The electron energization is necessarily accompanied by scattering and thermalization. The mechanism is efficient in both magnetized and non-magnetized relativistic electron-ion shocks. It is proposed that the synchrotron emission from the heated electrons in a layer of strongly enhanced magnetic field is responsible for gamma ray burst afterglows. © 2008 The American Physical Society.
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