Project Details
Projekt
Instabilities and Nonlinear Dynamics Beyond the Magnetic Threshold
Applicant
Professor Dr. Reinhard Schlickeiser, since 4/2013
Subject Area
Astrophysics and Astronomy
Term
from 2008 to 2016
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 60352348
The interaction of black holes with the surrounding plasma results in streams of charged particles. This plasma originates, for example, from companion stars in the case of microquasars. Initially, the plasma is forced onto an accretion disc. The plasma in the disc is heated by instabilities and some of it leaves the system in form of a jet. These jets emit electromagnetic waves, which are partially due to synchrotron radiation. The relativistic electrons and strong magnetic fields, which are required by the synchrotron mechanism, are probably generated by shocks in the jet. We explore processes close to such shock waves by means of particle-in-cell and Vlasov simulations. An initial magnetic field in the simulation setup suppresses the known plasma filamentation, which facilitates the development of instabilites that yield electromagnetic waves with an electrostatic component. First promising test simulations have demonstrated that such waves can yield magnetic field strengths and electron energies that could explain the synchrotron emissions observed from jets.
DFG Programme
Research Units
Ehemaliger Antragsteller
Professor Dr. Padma Kant Shukla, until 4/2013 (†)
