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Particle Acceleration Mechanisms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

R. D. Blandford
R. D. Blandford*
Affiliation:
Theoretical Astrophysics 130-33, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125

Abstract

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High-energy particle acceleration is observed to proceed in a diverse variety of astrophysical sites ranging from the terrestrial aurorae to the most distant quasars. Particle acceleration is a fairly common channel for the release of large-scale kinetic, rotational, and magnetic energy. Physical mechanisms include electrostatic acceleration, stochastic processes and diffusive shock energization. Cosmic-ray energy spectra have shapes which reflect escape, collisional, and radiative losses. The overall acceleration efficiency is controlled by the low-energy particle injection which may, in turn, feed back into the energization. Recent observational developments, which illustrate these general principles and raise fresh questions, are briefly summarized.

Subject heading: acceleration of particles

Type
Overview
Information
International Astronomical Union Colloquium , Volume 142: Particle Acceleration Phenomena in Astrophysical Plasmas , 1994 , pp. 515 - 520
Copyright
Copyright © The American Astronomical Society 1994

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