Special Astronomy & Astrophysics Seminar: Microphysics of Astrophysical Shocks

Abstract:

Astrophysical explosions, such as supernovae and GRBs, produce a strong shock wave in the interstellar medium. These shocks are formed primarily due to scattering of the charged particles in a self-generated magnetic turbulence, which is produced via various plasma instabilities. The characteristics of these instabilities at the microphysical scales determine bulk properties of the plasma, such as total energy in electrons and the strength of the amplified magnetic field. The self-consistent plasma simulations and analytical models can greatly advance our quantitative understanding of these microphysical plasma processes. In this talk, I will first discuss a strong heating of the electrons at the relativistic shocks where the foreshock turbulence is primarily due to the Weibel instability. Then, I'll discuss the growth and evolution of the plasma instabilities operating at high-Mach number supernovae shocks.

Seminar Organizer: Prof. Sara Beck