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Magnetic Field Amplification and Saturation by Turbulence in ARelativistic Shock Propagating through An Inhomogeneous Medium

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 July 2013

Y. Mizuno ,
M. Pohl ,
J. Niemiec ,
B. Zhang ,
K.-I. Nishikawa  and
P.E. Hardee
Y. Mizuno
Affiliation:
Institute of Astronomy, National Tsing-Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan R.O.C.
M. Pohl
Affiliation:
Institute of Physics and Astronomy, Universitat Potsdam, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
J. Niemiec
Affiliation:
Institute of Nuclear Physics PAN, Kraków, Poland
B. Zhang
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA
K.-I. Nishikawa
Affiliation:
CSPAR, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL, USA
P.E. Hardee
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
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Abstract

We perform two-dimensional relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of a mildlyrelativistic shock propagating through an inhomogeneous medium. Simulation results showthat the postshock region becomes turbulent owing to preshock density inhomogeneity, andthe magnetic field is strongly amplified due to the stretching and folding of field linesin the turbulent velocity field. The amplified magnetic field evolves into a filamentarystructure in two-dimensional simulations. The magnetic energy spectrum is flatter than theKolmogorov spectrum and indicates that the so-called small-scale dynamo is occurring inthe postshock region.

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References

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