Electron Preacceleration at Weak Quasi-perpendicular Intracluster Shocks: Effects of Preexisting Nonthermal Electrons

TL;DR

This study investigates whether preexisting nonthermal electrons can facilitate electron preacceleration at weak quasi-perpendicular shocks in galaxy clusters, finding that they do not significantly aid in the injection process for diffusive shock acceleration.

Contribution

The paper demonstrates through PIC simulations that preexisting nonthermal electrons do not enhance ion reflection or ion-scale wave generation, thus not resolving electron preacceleration at subcritical shocks.

Findings

Suprathermal electrons enhance electron-scale wave excitation.

Ion reflection and ion-scale wave generation remain unaffected.

Preexisting nonthermal electrons do not improve electron injection at weak shocks.

Abstract

Radio relics in the outskirts of galaxy clusters imply the diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) of electrons at merger-driven shocks with Mach number $M_{s}\lesssim3-4$ in the intracluster medium (ICM). Recent studies have suggested that electron preacceleration and injection, prerequisite steps for DSA, could occur at supercritical shocks with $M_{s}\gtrsim2.3$ in the ICM, thanks to the generation of multiscale waves by microinstabilities such as the Alfv\'en ion cyclotron (AIC) instability, the electron firehose instability (EFI), and the whistler instability (WI). On the other hand, some relics are observed to have subcritical shocks with $M_{s}\lesssim2.3$, leaving DSA at such weak shocks as an outstanding problem. Reacceleration of preexisting nonthermal electrons has been contemplated as one of possible solutions for that puzzle. To explore this idea, we perform Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulations for weak quasi-perpendicular shocks in high-$\beta$ ($\beta=P_{\rm gas}/P_{B}$) plasmas with power-law suprathermal electrons in addition to Maxwellian thermal electrons. We find that suprathermal electrons enhance the excitation of electron-scale waves via the EFI and WI. However, they do not affect the ion reflection and the ensuing generation of ion-scale waves via the AIC instability. The presence of ion-scale waves is the key for the preacceleration of electrons up to the injection momentum, thus the shock criticality condition for electron injection to DSA is preserved. Based on the results, we conclude that preexisting nonthermal electrons in the preshock region alone would not resolve the issue of electron preacceleration at subcritical ICM shocks.