Cosmic ray production in supernovae

TL;DR

This paper reviews how supernovae contribute to cosmic ray production, highlighting mechanisms and specific supernova types capable of accelerating particles to ultra-high energies, and discusses related magnetic and transport effects.

Contribution

It introduces the potential of rare trans-relativistic supernovae and supernovae in star clusters to accelerate cosmic rays beyond previous energy limits, and discusses advanced acceleration mechanisms.

Findings

Supernovae with trans-relativistic outflows can accelerate CRs above 10^18 eV.

Supernovae in star clusters and superluminous supernovae can accelerate CRs beyond PeV energies.

Magnetic field amplification and superdiffusive transport significantly influence CR acceleration and radiation.

Abstract

We give a brief review of the origin and acceleration of cosmic rays (CRs), emphasizing the production of CRs at different stages of supernova evolution by the first-order Fermi shock acceleration mechanism. We suggest that supernovae with trans-relativistic outflows, despite being rather rare, may accelerate CRs to energies above 10$^{18}$ eV over the first year of their evolution. Supernovae in young compact clusters of massive stars, and interaction powered superluminous supernovae, may accelerate CRs well above the PeV regime. We discuss the acceleration of the bulk of the galactic CRs in isolated supernova remnants and re-acceleration of escaped CRs by the multiple shocks present in superbubbles produced by associations of OB stars. The effects of magnetic field amplification by CR driven instabilities, as well as superdiffusive CR transport, are discussed for nonthermal radiation produced by nonlinear shocks of all speeds including trans-relativistic ones.