A. M. Bykov

Observations of Extended Radio Emission in Clusters

We review observations of extended regions of radio emission in clusters; these include diffuse emission in ‘relics’, and the large central regions commonly referred to as ‘halos’. The spectral observations, as well as Faraday rotation measurements of background and cluster radio sources, provide the main evidence for large-scale intracluster magnetic fields and significant densities of relativistic electrons. Implications from these observations on acceleration mechanisms of these electrons are reviewed, including turbulent and shock acceleration, and also the origin of some of the electrons in collisions of relativistic protons by ambient protons in the (thermal) gas. Improved knowledge of non-thermal phenomena in clusters requires more extensive and detailed radio measurements; we briefly review prospects for future observations.

Nonlinear Diffusive Shock Acceleration with Magnetic Field Amplification

We introduce a Monte Carlo model of nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration that allows for the generation of large-amplitude magnetic turbulence, i.e., ?B B0, where B0 is the ambient magnetic field. The model is the first to include strong wave generation, efficient particle acceleration to relativistic energies in nonrelativistic shocks, and thermal particle injection in an internally self-consistent manner. We find that the upstream magnetic field B0 can be amplified by large factors and show that this amplification depends strongly on the ambient Alfv?n Mach number. We also show that, in the nonlinear model, large increases in B do not necessarily translate into a large increase in the maximum particle momentum a particular shock can produce, a consequence of high-momentum particles diffusing in the shock precursor where the large amplified field converges to the low ambient value. To deal with the field growth rate in the regime of strong fluctuations, we extend to strong turbulence a parameterization that is consistent with the resonant quasi-linear growth rate in the weak turbulence limit. We believe our parameterization spans the maximum and minimum range of the fluctuation growth, and within these limits we show that the nonlinear shock structure, acceleration efficiency, and thermal particle injection rates depend strongly on the yet to be determined details of wave growth in strongly turbulent fields. The most direct application of our results will be to estimate magnetic fields amplified by strong cosmic-ray modified shocks in supernova remnants.

Observational Signatures of Particle Acceleration in Supernova Remnants

We evaluate the current status of supernova remnants as the sources of Galactic cosmic rays. We summarize observations of supernova remnants, covering the whole electromagnetic spectrum and describe what these observations tell us about the acceleration processes by high Mach number shock fronts. We discuss the shock modification by cosmic rays, the shape and maximum energy of the cosmic-ray spectrum and the total energy budget of cosmic rays in and surrounding supernova remnants. Additionally, we discuss problems with supernova remnants as main sources of Galactic cosmic rays, as well as alternative sources.

The signature of 44Ti in Cassiopeia a Revealed by IBIS/ISGRI on INTEGRAL

We report the detection of both the 67.9 and 78.4 keV 44 Sc g-ray lines in Cassiopeia A with the INTEGRAL IBIS/ISGRI instrument. Besides the robustness provided by spectroimaging observations, the main improvements compared to previous measurements are a clear separation of the two 44 Sc lines together with an improved significance of the detection of the hard X-ray continuum up to 100 keV. These allow us to refine the determination of the 44 Ti yield and to constrain the nature of the nonthermal continuum emission. By combining COMPTEL, BeppoSAX PDS and ISGRI measurements, we find a line flux of

Diffusive Shock Acceleration and Magnetic Field Amplification

Diffusive shock acceleration is the theory of particle acceleration through multiple shock crossings. In order for this process to proceed at a rate that can be reconciled with observations of high-energy electrons in the vicinity of the shock, and for cosmic rays protons to be accelerated to energies up to observed galactic values, significant magnetic field amplification is required. In this review we will discuss various theories on how magnetic field amplification can proceed in the presence of a cosmic ray population. On both short and long length scales, cosmic ray streaming can induce instabilities that act to amplify the magnetic field. Developments in this area that have occurred over the past decade are the main focus of this paper.

Magnetic Fields, Relativistic Particles, and Shock Waves in Cluster Outskirts

It is only now, with low-frequency radio telescopes, long exposures with high-resolution X-ray satellites and γ-ray telescopes, that we are beginning to learn about the physics in the periphery of galaxy clusters. In the coming years, Sunyaev-Zel’dovich telescopes are going to deliver further great insights into the plasma physics of these special regions in the Universe. The last years have already shown tremendous progress with detections of shocks, estimates of magnetic field strengths and constraints on the particle acceleration efficiency. X-ray observations have revealed shock fronts in cluster outskirts which have allowed inferences about the microphysical structure of shocks fronts in such extreme environments. The best indications for magnetic fields and relativistic particles in cluster outskirts come from observations of so-called radio relics, which are megaparsec-sized regions of radio emission from the edges of galaxy clusters. As these are difficult to detect due to their low surface brightness, only few of these objects are known. But they have provided unprecedented evidence for the acceleration of relativistic particles at shock fronts and the existence of μG strength fields as far out as the virial radius of clusters. In this review we summarise the observational and theoretical state of our knowledge of magnetic fields, relativistic particles and shocks in cluster outskirts.

The X-ray synchrotron emission of RCW 86 and the implications for its age

We report X-ray imaging spectroscopy observations of the northeastern shell of the supernova remnant RCW 86 using Chandra and XMM-Newton. Along this part of the shell, the dominant X-ray radiation mechanism changes from thermal to synchrotron emission. We argue that both the presence of X-ray synchrotron radiation and the width of the synchrotron-emitting region suggest a locally higher shock velocity of Vs ≈ 2700 km s-1 and a magnetic field of B ≈ 24 ± 5 μG. Moreover, we also show that a simple power-law cosmic-ray electron spectrum with an exponential cutoff cannot explain the broadband synchrotron emission. Instead, a concave electron spectrum is needed, as predicted by nonlinear shock acceleration models. Finally, we show that the derived shock velocity strengthens the case that RCW 86 is the remnant of SN 185.

Chemical evolution in Sérsic 159-03 observed with XMM-Newton

Using a new long X-ray observation of the cluster of galaxies Sersic 159-03 with XMM-Newton, we derive radial temperature and abundance profiles using single- and multi-temperature models. The fits to the EPIC and RGS spectra prefer multi-temperature models especially in the core. The radial profiles of oxygen and iron measured with EPIC/RGS and the line profiles in RGS suggest that there is a dip in the O/Fe ratio in the centre of the cluster compared to its immediate surroundings. A possible explanation for the large scale metallicity distribution is that SNIa and SNII products are released in the ICM through ram-pressure stripping of in-falling galaxies. This causes a peaked metallicity distribution. In addition, SNIa in the central cD galaxy enrich mainly the centre of the cluster with iron. This excess of SNIa products is consistent with the low O/Fe ratio we detect in the centre of the cluster. We fit the abundances we obtain with yields from SNIa, SNII and Population-III stars to derive the clusters chemical evolution. We find that the measured abundance pattern does not require a Population-III star contribution. The relative contribution of the number of SNIa with respect to the total number of SNe which enrich the ICM is about 25-50%. Furthermore, we discuss the possible presence of a non-thermal component in the EPIC spectra. A potential source of this non-thermal emission can be inverse-Compton scattering between Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) photons and relativistic electrons, which are accelerated in bow shocks associated with ram-pressure stripping of in-falling galaxies.

Non-thermal processes in cosmological simulations

Non-thermal components are key ingredients for understanding clusters of galaxies. In the hierarchical model of structure formation, shocks and large-scale turbulence are unavoidable in the cluster formation processes. Understanding the amplification and evolution of the magnetic field in galaxy clusters is necessary for modelling both the heat transport and the dissipative processes in the hot intra-cluster plasma. The acceleration, transport and interactions of non-thermal energetic particles are essential for modelling the observed emissions. Therefore, the inclusion of the non-thermal components will be mandatory for simulating accurately the global dynamical processes in clusters. In this review, we summarise the results obtained with the simulations of the formation of galaxy clusters which address the issues of shocks, magnetic field, cosmic ray particles and turbulence.

Core-collapse Model of Broadband Emission from SNR RX J1713.7–3946 with Thermal X-Rays and Gamma Rays from Escaping Cosmic Rays

We present a spherically symmetric, core-collapse model of SNR RX J1713.7–3946 that includes a hydrodynamic simulation of the remnant evolution coupled to the efficient production of cosmic rays (CRs) by nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration. High-energy CRs that escape from the forward shock (FS) are propagated in surrounding dense material that simulates either a swept-up, pre-supernova shell or a nearby molecular cloud. The continuum emission from trapped and escaping CRs, along with the thermal X-ray emission from the shocked heated interstellar medium behind the FS, integrated over the remnant, is compared against broadband observations. Our results show conclusively that, overall, the GeV-TeV emission is dominated by inverse-Compton from CR electrons if the supernova is isolated regardless of its type, i.e., not interacting with a 100 M ☉ shell or cloud. If the supernova remnant is interacting with a much larger mass 104 M ☉, pion decay from the escaping CRs may dominate the TeV emission, although a precise fit at high energy will depend on the still uncertain details of how the highest energy CRs are accelerated by, and escape from, the FS. Based on morphological and other constraints, we consider the 104 M ☉ pion-decay scenario highly unlikely for SNR RX J1713.7–3946 regardless of the details of CR escape. Importantly, even though CR electrons dominate the GeV-TeV emission, the efficient production of CR ions is an essential part of our leptonic model.