Shock Acceleration Model with Postshock Turbulence for Giant Radio Relics

TL;DR

This paper models the acceleration of electrons in galaxy cluster shocks, incorporating turbulence and energy losses, to explain observed radio relic features and spectra.

Contribution

It introduces a combined shock and turbulent acceleration model with time-dependent simulations to reproduce radio relic observations.

Findings

Turbulent acceleration is essential for broad radio flux profiles.

Spectral curvature can be explained by shock interaction with fossil electrons.

Reacceleration scenarios better match observed relic properties.

Abstract

We explore the shock acceleration model for giant radio relics, in which relativistic electrons are accelerated via diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) by merger-driven shocks in the outskirts of galaxy clusters. In addition to DSA, turbulent acceleration by compressive MHD mode downstream of the shock is included as well as energy losses of postshock electrons by Coulomb scattering, synchrotron emission, and inverse Compton scattering off the cosmic background radiation. Considering that only a small fraction of merging clusters host radio relics, we favor the reacceleration scenario in which radio relics are generated preferentially when shocks encounter the regions containing low-energy ($\gamma_{\rm e} \lesssim 300$) cosmic ray electrons (CRe). We perform time-dependent DSA simulations of spherically expanding shocks with physical parameters relevant for the Sausage radio relic, and calculate the radio synchrotron emission from the accelerated CRe. We find that significant level of postshock turbulent acceleration is required in order to reproduce broad profiles of the observed radio flux densities of the Sausage relic. Moreover, the spectral curvature in the observed integrated radio spectrum can be explained, if the putative shock should have swept up and exited out of the preshock region of fossil CRe about 10~Myr ago.