Electron Acceleration and Synchrotron Radiation in Relativistic Blast Waves: Applications to GRBs and Blazars

Details Electron Acceleration and Synchrotron Radiation in Relativistic Blast Waves: Applications to GRBs and Blazars Electron Acceleration and Synchrotron Radiation in Relativistic Blast Waves: Applications to GRBs and Blazars

Dec 1997

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1997aas...19111902d&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, 191st AAS Meeting, #119.02; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 29, p.1401

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

The dynamics of relativistic blast waves which decelerate by sweeping up matter from the ISM are studied. Coupled equations for the proton and electron momentum distribution functions in the comoving fluid frame are used to calculate the observed synchrotron radiation spectrum. The results depend critically on the mechanism for transfering energy from the nonthermal protons to the electrons. The simplest prescription is to assume that a fixed fraction of the comoving proton power is instantaneously transformed into a power-law, ``shock''-like electron distribution function. Analytic results for the case of a relativistic plasmoid with a constant magnetic field, and numerical results for the general case are presented and applied to GRB and blazar variability. The delayed X-ray and optical afterglow emission of GRBs are easily understand with this model, which implies that the bulk of the primary GRB emission is nonthermal synchrotron radiation and that the diverse GRB time profiles reflect the density distribution of the ISM. We also propose that radio and gamma-ray flares in blazars are due to the transformation of the directed kinetic energy of the relativistic outflows by interactions with the external medium, as would occur if broad-line region clouds pass through the path of the relativistic outflows.

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