Particle Acceleration in Mildly Relativistic Outflows of Fast Energetic Transient Sources

TL;DR

This paper investigates particle acceleration in mildly relativistic outflows of fast blue optical transients (FBOTs), using simulations to explain observed radiation and predict their role in producing high-energy cosmic rays.

Contribution

It combines particle-in-cell and Monte Carlo simulations to analyze shock acceleration in FBOTs, revealing their potential to produce PeV cosmic rays and fit observed radio emissions.

Findings

Simulations show efficient acceleration of relativistic electrons producing observed radio fluxes.

Protons and nuclei can reach PeV energies in these outflows.

Fast outflows of FBOTs may significantly contribute to galactic high-energy cosmic rays.

Abstract

Recent discovery of fast blue optical transients (FBOTs) as a new class of energetic transient sources can shed light on the long-standing problem of supernova-long gamma-ray burst connections. A distinctive feature of such objects is the presence of modestly relativistic outflows which place them in between the non-relativistic and relativistic supernovae-related events. Here we present the results of kinetic particle-in-cell and Monte Carlo simulations of particle acceleration and magnetic field amplification by shocks with the velocities in the interval between 0.1 and 0.7 c. These simulations are needed for the interpretation of the observed broad band radiation of FBOTs. Their fast, mildly to moderately relativistic outflows may efficiently accelerate relativistic particles. With particle-in-cell simulations we demonstrate that synchrotron radiation of accelerated relativistic electrons in the shock downstream may fit the observed radio fluxes. At longer timescales, well beyond those reachable within a particle-in-cell approach, our nonlinear Monte Carlo model predicts that protons and nuclei can be accelerated to petaelectronvolt (PeV) energies. Therefore, such fast and energetic transient sources can contribute to galactic populations of high energy cosmic rays.