Observable consequences of Langmuir turbulence in active galactic nuclei

Lesch, Harald (April 1989): Observable consequences of Langmuir turbulence in active galactic nuclei. In: IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, Bd. 17, Nr. 2: S. 252-258

Abstract

The author discusses in detail the observable consequences of nonlinear microscopic plasma processes in active galactic nuclei. The combination of several elementary momentum-gain (shock acceleration and stochastic acceleration) and momentum-loss processes (synchrotron radiation, inverse Compton scattering) produces an almost monoenergetic distribution function of relativistic electrons, called the pile-up, which excites Langmuir waves. Turbulent wave-wave and wave-particle interactions lead to nonlinear stabilization of the pile-up. The temporal and spatial evolution of the Langmuir waves and the relativistic electrons determines the shape and time scale of the spectral variations. The model is applied to extragalactic nuclei and to the galactic center as well.< >

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Keywords: Acceleration; Electrons; Microscopy; Plasma accelerators; Plasma waves; Electric shock; Stochastic processes; Synchrotron radiation; Scattering; Distribution functions; astrophysical plasma; galactic nuclei; plasma turbulence; plasma waves; relativistic plasmas
• Fakultät: Physik
• Themengebiete: 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik > 520 Astronomie ; 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik > 530 Physik
• ISSN: 1939-9375; 0093-3813
• Sprache: Englisch