Dr James Matthews

Abstract:

The origin of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) has been an open question for decades. Here, we use a combination of hydrodynamic simulations and general physical arguments to demonstrate that UHECRs can in principle be produced by diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) in shocks in the backflowing material of radio galaxy lobes. These shocks occur after the jet material has passed through the relativistic termination shock. Recently, several authors have demonstrated that highly relativistic shocks are not effective in accelerating UHECRs. The shocks in our proposed model have a range of non-relativistic or mildly relativistic shock velocities more conducive to UHECR acceleration, with shock sizes in the range 1 − 10 kpc. Approximately 10% of the jet’s energy flux is focused through a shock in the backflow of M > 3. Although the shock velocities can be low enough that acceleration to high energy via DSA is still efficient, they are also high enough for the Hillas energy to approach 1019−20 eV, particularly for heavier CR composition and in cases where fluid elements pass through multiple shocks. We discuss some of the more general considerations for acceleration of particles to ultra-high energy with reference to giant-lobed radio galaxies such as Centaurus A and Fornax A, a class of sources which may be responsible for the observed anisotropies from UHECR observatories.

Abstract:

Abstract Jets from stellar-mass and supermassive black holes provide the unique opportunity to study similar processes in two very different mass regimes. Historically, the apparent speeds of black hole x-ray binary (BHXRBs) jets have been observed to be lower than jet speeds from active galactic nuclei (AGN) and specifically blazars. In this work, we show that selection effects could be the primary cause of the observed population differences. For the first time, it is possible to perform a statistical analysis of the underlying BHXRB jet Lorentz factor distribution. We use both the Anderson-Darling test and apply nested sampling to this problem. With Bayes factors, we confirm that the Lorentz factor distribution of BHXRBs is best described with a power law, the same model that has been applied to AGN jets. For a Lorentz factor distribution following $\rm N(\Gamma ) \propto \Gamma ^b$ we find a value for the exponent of $b=-2.64_{-0.55}^{+0.46}$. This exponent is consistent with values found in AGN population studies, within 1σ for Swift-BAT and Fermi-LAT selected AGN. The best-fit exponent for the radio selected MOJAVE sample is just above our 2σ limit. This is a remarkable agreement given the different scales at which the jets are observed. The observed slower apparent speeds in BHXRBs are largely due to the much larger inclinations in this sample. Furthermore, nested sampling confirms that Γmax is completely unconstrained using this method. Therefore, based on kinematics alone, BHXRB jets are broadly consistent with being just as relativistic as those from supermassive black holes.