- 1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, 20500 Turku, Finland
- 2Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- 3Astronomy and Space Physics Department, National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv, 03127 Kyiv, Ukraine
- 4Department of Physics, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
- 5LPC2E/CNRS, UMR 7328, 45071 Orléans, France
- 6Department of Physics and Astronomy, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
- 7Dipartimento di Fisica e Chimica E. Segrè, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, 90134, Italy
- 8California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- 9University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
- 10The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- 11Predictive Science Inc., San Diego, CA 92121, USA
- 12Centre for Mathematical Plasma Astrophysics, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
- 13Heliophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- 14Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
- 15Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Finland
Particle acceleration and radiation are fundamental cosmic processes that significantly contribute to the universe’s energy density, driven by phenomena ranging from solar flares to supernova explosions. Shock waves, prevalent across various spatial scales, play a key role in converting kinetic energy into plasma heating and particle acceleration. Recent advancements from missions such as the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) have provided unprecedented insights into the dynamics of shock waves within the heliosphere, thereby enhancing our understanding of these critical energy conversion mechanisms.
In this talk, I will present findings from two recent studies that leverage the PSP’s unique proximity to the Sun and its advanced, high-fidelity instrumentation. First, we analyzed one of the fastest shocks ever observed on March 13, 2023, revealing the efficient acceleration of electrons up to and exceeding 6 MeV and the collective acceleration of ions from the thermal solar wind. Second, we made the surprising discovery of synchrotron radiation emanating from ultra-relativistic electrons in both a quasi-parallel and a quasi-perpendicular shock, with the quasi-parallel shock exhibiting significantly higher radiation intensities due to more effective electron acceleration. These results are consistent not just with theoretical models of strong cosmic shocks, but also observations. This offers an unprecedented opportunity to bridge in situ heliospheric observations with remote observations of phenomena such as supernova remnants.
How to cite: Jebaraj, I. C., Agapitov, O., Gedalin, M., Krasnoselskikh, V., Vuorinen, L., Miceli, M., Dresing, N., Cohen, C., Balikhin, M., Kouloumvakos, A., Palmerio, E., Wijsen, N., Mitchell, J. G., McComas, D., Rawafi, N., Kilpua, E., Vainio, R., and Bale, S.: Scale-Invariant Particle Energization and Radiation – Foundations for Building a Cosmic Bridge, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-10616, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-10616, 2025.
