The Effect of Large Scale Magnetic Turbulence on the Acceleration of Electrons by Perpendicular Collisionless Shocks

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that large-scale magnetic turbulence significantly enhances electron acceleration at perpendicular collisionless shocks, with implications for space physics phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces a numerical approach combining hybrid simulations and test particle integration to analyze electron acceleration in turbulent magnetic fields at shocks.

Findings

Large-scale magnetic fluctuations facilitate rapid electron energization.

Electrons cross the shock multiple times due to magnetic field line braiding.

The spatial distribution of energetic electrons matches in-situ observations.

Abstract

We study the physics of electron acceleration at collisionless shocks that move through a plasma containing large-scale magnetic fluctuations. We numerically integrate the trajectories of a large number of electrons, which are treated as test particles moving in the time dependent electric and magnetic fields determined from 2-D hybrid simulations (kinetic ions, fluid electron). The large-scale magnetic fluctuations effect the electrons in a number of ways and lead to efficient and rapid energization at the shock front. Since the electrons mainly follow along magnetic lines of force, the large-scale braiding of field lines in space allows the fast-moving electrons to cross the shock front several times, leading to efficient acceleration. Ripples in the shock front occuring at various scales will also contribute to the acceleration by mirroring the electrons. Our calculation shows that this process favors electron acceleration at perpendicular shocks. The current study is also helpful in understanding the injection problem for electron acceleration by collisionless shocks. It is also shown that the spatial distribution of energetic electrons is similar to in-situ observations (e.g., Bale et al. 1999; Simnett et al. 2005). The process may be important to our understanding of energetic electrons in planetary bow shocks and interplanetary shocks, and explaining herringbone structures seen in some type II solar radio bursts.