Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

Particle acceleration in interstellar shocks

  • Review Article
  • Published:
Astrophysics and Space Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This review presents the fundamentals of the particle acceleration processes active in interstellar medium (ISM), which are essentially based on the so-called Fermi mechanism theory. More specifically, the review presents here in more details the first order Fermi acceleration process—also known as diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) mechanism. In this case, acceleration is induced by the interstellar (IS) shock waves. These IS shocks are mainly associated with emission nebulae (H ii regions, planetary nebulae and supernova remnants). Among all types of emission nebulae, the strongest shocks are associated with supernova remnants (SNRs). Due to this fact they also provide the most efficient manner to accelerate ISM particles to become high energy particles, i.e. cosmic-rays (CRs). The review therefore focuses on the particle acceleration at the strong shock waves of supernova remnants.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

References

  • Acero, F., Ackermann, M., Ajello, M., Baldini, L., Ballet, J., Barbiellini, G., Bastieri, D., Bellazzini, R., Bissaldi, E., Blandford, R.D., et al.: The first Fermi LAT supernova remnant catalog. Astrophys. J. Suppl. 224, 8–58 (2016)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Allen, G.E., Houck, J.C., Sturner, S.J.: Evidence of a curved synchrotron spectrum in the supernova remnant SN 1006. Astrophys. J. 683, 773–785 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Amato, E., Blasi, P.: A general solution to non-linear particle acceleration at non-relativistic shock waves. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 364, L76–L80 (2005)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Arbutina, B.: Evolution of supernova remnants. Publ. Obs. Astron. Belgr. 97, 1–92 (2017)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Axford, W.I., Leer, E., Skadron, G.: The acceleration of cosmic-rays by shock waves. In: International Cosmic Ray Conference, vol. 11, pp. 132–137 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell, A.R.: The acceleration of cosmic-rays in shock fronts. I. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 182, 147–156 (1978a)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Bell, A.R.: The acceleration of cosmic-rays in shock fronts. II. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 182, 443–455 (1978b)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Bell, A.R.: Turbulent amplification of magnetic field and diffusive shock acceleration of cosmic-rays. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 353, 550–558 (2004)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Bell, A.R., Schure, K.M., Reville, B.: Cosmic ray acceleration at oblique shocks. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 418, 1208–1216 (2011)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Bell, A.R., Schure, K.M., Reville, B., Giacinti, G.: Cosmic-ray acceleration and escape from supernova remnants. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 431, 415–429 (2013)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Bell, A.R., Matthews, J.H., Blundell, K.M.: Cosmic ray acceleration by shocks: spectral steepening due to turbulent magnetic field amplification. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 488, 2466–2472 (2019)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Berezhko, E.G., Ellison, D.C.: A simple model of nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration. Astrophys. J. 526, 385–399 (1999)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Berezhko, E.G., Völk, H.J.: The theory of synchrotron emission from supernova remnants. Astron. Astrophys. 427, 525–536 (2004)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Blandford, R.D., Eichler, D.: Particle acceleration at astrophysical shocks: a theory of cosmic-ray origin. Phys. Rep. 154(1), 1–75 (1987)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Blandford, R.D., Ostriker, J.P.: Particle acceleration by astrophysical shocks. Astrophys. J. 221, L29–L32 (1978)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Blasi, P.: A novel approach to non linear shock acceleration. Nucl. Phys. B, Proc. Suppl. 110, 475–477 (2002a)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Blasi, P.: A semi-analytical approach to non-linear shock acceleration. Astropart. Phys. 16, 429–439 (2002b)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Blasi, P.: Nonlinear shock acceleration in the presence of seed particles. Astropart. Phys. 21, 45–57 (2004)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Blasi, P.: Shock acceleration of electrons in the presence of synchrotron losses—I. Test-particle theory. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 402, 2807–2816 (2010)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Blasi, P., Gabici, S., Vannoni, G.: On the role of injection in kinetic approaches to non-linear particle acceleration at non-relativistic shock waves. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 361, 907–918 (2005)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Blasi, P., Amato, E., Caprioli, D.: The maximum momentum of particles accelerated at cosmic-ray modified shocks. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 375, 1471–1478 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Caprioli, D.: Understanding hadronic gamma-ray emission from supernova remnants. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 5, 26 (2011)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Caprioli, D., Spitkovsky, A.: Simulations of ion acceleration at non-relativistic shocks. I. Acceleration efficiency. Astrophys. J. 783, 91–107 (2014)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Caprioli, D., Blasi, P., Amato, E., Vietri, M.: Dynamical effects of self-generated magnetic fields in cosmic-ray-modified shocks. Astrophys. J. Lett. 679, L139–L142 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Caprioli, D., Blasi, P., Amato, E., Vietri, M.: Dynamical feedback of self-generated magnetic fields in cosmic-ray modified shocks. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 395, 895–906 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Caprioli, D., Amato, E., Blasi, P.: Non-linear diffusive shock acceleration with free-escape boundary. Astropart. Phys. 33, 307–311 (2010)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Caprioli, D., Pop, A., Spitkovsky, A.: Simulations and theory of ion injection at non-relativistic collisionless shocks. Astrophys. J. Lett. 798, L28 (2015)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Caprioli, D., Zhang, H., Spitkovsky, A.: Diffusive shock re-acceleration. J. Plasma Phys. 84, 715840301 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Looze, I., Barlow, M.J., Swinyard, B.M., Rho, J., Gomez, H.L., Matsuura, M., Wesson, R.: The dust mass in Cassiopeia A from a spatially resolved Herschel analysis. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 465, 3309–3342 (2017)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Drury, L.OC.: An introduction to the theory of diffusive shock acceleration of energetic particles in tenuous plasmas. Rep. Prog. Phys. 46, 973–1027 (1983)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Drury, L.O’C., Downes, T.P.: Turbulent magnetic field amplification driven by cosmic ray pressure gradients. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 427, 2308–2313 (2012)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Drury, L.O’C., Strong, A.W.: Cosmic-ray diffusive reacceleration: a critical look. In: The 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference (2015). arXiv:1508.02675v1

    Google Scholar 

  • Fermi, E.: On the origin of the cosmic radiation. Phys. Rev. 75, 1169–1174 (1949)

    Article  ADS  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Ferrand, G.: Blasi’s semi-analytical kinetic model of non-linear diffusive shock acceleration (2010). Personal notes

  • Ferrand, G., Danos, R.J., Shalchi, A., Safi-Harb, S., Edmon, P., Mendygral, P.: Cosmic ray acceleration at perpendicular shocks in supernova remnants. Astrophys. J. 792, 133–145 (2014)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Gaggero, D., Zandanel, F., Cristofari, P., Gabici, S.: Time evolution of gamma rays from supernova remnants. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 475, 5237–5245 (2018)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Ginzburg, V.L., Syrovatskii, S.I.: Cosmic rays in the galaxy (introductory report). In: van Woerden, H. (ed.) Radio Astronomy and the Galactic System. IAU Symposium, vol. 31, p. 411 (1967)

    Google Scholar 

  • Green, D.A.: A Catalogue of Galactic Supernova Remnants (2017 June Version). Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge (2017). Available at http://www.mrao.cam.ac.uk/surveys/snrs/

    Google Scholar 

  • Hussein, M., Shalchi, A.: Detailed numerical investigation of the Bohm limit in cosmic ray diffusion theory. Astrophys. J. 785, 31–37 (2014)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Inoue, T.: Bell-instability-mediated spectral modulation of hadronic gamma-rays from a supernova remnant interacting with a molecular cloud. Astrophys. J. 872, 46–54 (2019)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, T.J., Rudnick, L., DeLaney, T., Bowden, J.: The identification of infrared synchrotron radiation from Cassiopeia A. Astrophys. J. 587, 227–234 (2003)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Koyama, K., Petre, R., Gotthelf, E.V., Hwang, U., Matsuura, M., Ozaki, M., Holt, S.S.: Evidence for shock acceleration of high-energy electrons in the supernova remnant SN 1006. Nature 378, 255–258 (1995)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Krymsky, G.F.: A regular mechanism for the acceleration of charged particles on the front of a shock wave. Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR 234, 1306–1308 (1977)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Lequeux, J.: The Interstellar Medium, with the Collaboration of E Falgarone and C Ryter. Springer, Berlin (2005)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Longair, M.S.: High Energy Astrophysics. Volume 2. Stars, the Galaxy and the Interstellar Medium. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  • Malkov, M.A., Drury, LO’C: Nonlinear theory of diffusive acceleration of particles by shock waves. Rep. Prog. Phys. 64, 429–481 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Onić, D.: On the supernova remnants with flat radio spectra. Astrophys. Space Sci. 346, 3–13 (2013)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Onić, D., Urošević, D.: On the continuum radio spectrum of Cas A: possible evidence of non-linear particle acceleration. Astrophys. J. 805, 119–125 (2015)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Ostrowski, M.: Supernova remnants in molecular clouds: on cosmic-ray electron spectra. Astron. Astrophys. 345, 256–258 (1999)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Parker, E.: The passage of energetic charged particles through interplanetary space. Planet. Space Sci. 13, 9–49 (1965)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Pavlović, M.Z.: Hydrodynamical and radio evolution of young supernova remnant G1.9+0.3 based on the model of diffusive shock acceleration. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 468, 1616–1630 (2017)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Pavlović, M.Z.: Modeling the radio-evolution of supernova remnants by using hydrodynamic simulations and non-linear diffusive shock acceleration. PhD thesis, University of Belgrade (2018)

  • Pavlović, M.Z., Urošević, D., Arbutina, B., Orlando, S., Maxted, N., Filipović, M.: Radio evolution of supernova remnants including nonlinear particle acceleration: insights from hydrodynamic simulations. Astrophys. J. 858, 84 (2018)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Reber, G.: Cosmic static. Astrophys. J. 100, 279–287 (1944)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, S.P.: Supernova remnants at high energy. Annu. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 46, 89–126 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, S.P., Ellison, D.C.: Electron acceleration in Tycho’s and Kepler’s supernova remnants—spectral evidence of Fermi shock acceleration. Astrophys. J. 399, L75–L78 (1992)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Sano, H., Rowell, G., Reynoso, E.M., Jung-Richardt, J., Yamane, Y., Nagaya, T., Yoshiike, S., Hayashi, K., Torii, K., Maxted, N., Mitsuishi, I., Inoue, T., Inutsuka, S., Yamamoto, H., Tachihara, K., Fukui, Y.: Possible Evidence for cosmic-ray acceleration in the Type Ia supernova remnant RCW 86: spatial correlation between TeV gamma rays and interstellar atomic protons. Astrophys. J. 876, 37 (2019). https://arxiv.org/abs/1805.10647

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Schlickeiser, R., Fürst, E.: The origin of flat radio spectra in shell-type supernova remnants. Astron. Astrophys. 219, 192–194 (1989)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Shalchi, A.: Diffusive shock acceleration in supernova remnants: on the validity of the Bohm limit. Astropart. Phys. 31, 237–242 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Shalchi, A., Skoda, T., Tautz, R.C., Schlickeiser, R.: Analytical description of nonlinear cosmic ray scattering: isotropic and quasilinear regimes of pitch-angle diffusion. Astron. Astrophys. 507, 589–597 (2009)

    Article  ADS  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Skilling, J.: Cosmic rays in the Galaxy: convection or diffusion. Astrophys. J. 170, 265–273 (1971)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Skilling, J.: Cosmic ray streaming. I—Effect of Alfven waves on particles. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 172, 557–566 (1975)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Uchiyama, Y., Aharonian, F.A., Tanaka, T., Takahashi, T., Maeda, Y.: Extremely fast acceleration of cosmic rays in a supernova remnant. Nature 449, 576–578 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Uchiyama, Y., Blandford, R.D., Funk, S., Tajima, H., Tanaka, T.: Gamma-ray emission from crushed clouds in supernova remnants. Astrophys. J. 723, L122–L126 (2010)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Urošević, D.: On the radio spectra of supernova remnants. Astrophys. Space Sci. 354, 541–552 (2014)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Vainio, R., Schlickeiser, R.: Self-consistent Alfven-wave transmission and test-particle acceleration at parallel shocks. Astron. Astrophys. 343, 303–311 (1999)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Vink, J.: Supernova remnants: the X-ray perspective. Astron. Astrophys. Rev. 20, 49 (2012)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Vink, J., Bleeker, J., van der Heyden, K., Bykov, A., Bamba, A., Yamazak, R.: The X-ray synchrotron emission of RCW 86 and the implications for its age. Astrophys. J. 648, L33–L37 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Zeković, V.: Resonant micro-instabilities at quasi-parallel collisionless shocks: cause or consequence of shock (re)formation. Phys. Plasmas 26, 032106 (2019)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank the anonymous referee for useful comments and suggestions that greatly improved the quality of this paper. We acknowledge the financial support of the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia through the project No. 176005 “Emission Nebulae: Structure and Evolution”. The authors thank Dragana Momic for careful reading and correction of the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Astronomy, Faculty of Mathematics, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 16, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia

    Dejan Urošević, Bojan Arbutina & Dušan Onić

Authors
  1. Dejan Urošević
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  2. Bojan Arbutina
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  3. Dušan Onić
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dejan Urošević.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This article belongs to the Topical Collection: Plasma, Particles, and Photons: ISM Physics Revisited. Guest Editors: Manami Sasaki, Ralf-Jürgen Dettmar, Julia Tjus.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Urošević, D., Arbutina, B. & Onić, D. Particle acceleration in interstellar shocks. Astrophys Space Sci 364, 185 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10509-019-3669-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10509-019-3669-y

Keywords