Enhanced Magnetic Field Amplification by Ion-beam Weibel Instability in Weakly Magnetized Astrophysical Shocks

Abstract

We examine the evolution of ion-beam Weibel instability at strong collisionless shocks in weakly magnetized media. We find that a finite background magnetic field substantially affects both the linear and nonlinear phases of the instability, depending on whether the background electrons behave magnetized or not. Particle-in-cell simulations for magnetized electrons identify a dynamo-like mechanism of magnetic field amplification, which eventually leads to spontaneous magnetic reconnection. We conclude that this scenario is applicable to typical young supernova remnant shocks.

Keywords

• Shocks
• Supernova remnants
• Plasma physics
• Cosmic ray sources