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[16.09] A Diamagnetic Relativistic Pulse Origin of Cosmic Gamma-Ray Bursts

E. Liang (Rice University), K. Nishimura (Los Alamos National Laboratory)

Using multi-dimensional Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulations of collisionless plasmas, we recently discovered a new particle energization mechanism based on the relativistic expansion of a strongly magnetized (plasma thermal energy/magnetic energy < 1) hot (kT~MeV) plasma. For an electron-positron (e+e-) plasma, this mechanism, which we call the diamagnetic relativistic pulse accelerator (DRPA), efficiently converts >80 into the ultra-relativistic directed energy of a small fraction of surface particles. When such PIC simulations are continued to >10000 gyroperiods, key features emerge which resemble the unique signatures of cosmic gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), including their spectra, time profiles and spectral evolution. In this paper we will highlight the key results of these PIC simulations and their astrophysical manifestations.

Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 35#2
© 2003. The American Astronomical Soceity.