Synchro-Curvature Self-Compton Radiation of Electrons in Curved Magnetic Fields

TL;DR

This paper derives the spectrum of synchro-curvature self-Compton radiation for relativistic electrons in curved magnetic fields, highlighting differences from other self-Compton processes and discussing various physical effects relevant to astrophysical sources.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive model for synchro-curvature self-Compton radiation, incorporating effects like electron cooling, drifting, and Klein-Nishina cutoff, applicable to diverse astrophysical phenomena.

Findings

Spectrum differs significantly from synchrotron or curvature self-Compton

Model accounts for electron cooling, drifting, and Klein-Nishina effects

Applicable to GRBs, AGNs, and pulsars

Abstract

In this paper we present the spectrum of synchro-curvature self-Compton (SCSC) radiation of relativistic electrons with a power-law distribution of Lorentz factors. We find that the resulting spectrum is significantly different from that of either synchrotron self-Compton or curvature self-Compton radiation if both the curvature radius of the magnetic field and the cyclotron radius of the electrons are within some proper ranges. The effects of electrons' cooling and drifting, the low-energy self absorption in seed spectra, and the Klein-Nishina cutoff are also discussed, in order to get an accurate picture. We take gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) as our example environment for discussions. The results would be considered as a universal approach of the self-Compton emission of relativistic electrons moving in curved magnetic fields, and thus could be applied to many astrophysical phenomena, including GRBs, active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and pulsars.