Interplay of various particle acceleration processes in astrophysical environment

Abstract

Astrophysical systems possess various sites of particle acceleration, which gives rise to the observed non-thermal spectra. Diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) and stochastic turbulent acceleration (STA) are the candidates for producing very high energy particles in weakly magnetized regions. While DSA is a systematic acceleration process, STA is a random energization process, usually modelled as a biased random walk in energy space with a Fokker-Planck equation. In astrophysical systems, different acceleration processes work in an integrated manner along with various energy losses. Here we study the interplay of both STA and DSA in addition to various energy losses, in a simulated RMHD jet cocoon. Further, we consider a phenomenologically motivated STA timescale and discuss its effect on the emission profile of the RMHD jet. A parametric study on the turbulent acceleration timescale is also conducted to showcase the effect of turbulence damping on the emission structure of the simulated jet. © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of International Astronomical Union.