Abstract
THE shocked terminations of the relativistic plasma jets emitted by active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have been considered as possible sources of high-energy cosmic rays1. However, the acceleration rate provides a stringent limitation on the ability of this class of source to make particles with the highest observed energies2. Here we report a numerical simulation of the diffusive shock acceleration process when the flow is relativistic. The acceleration rate is found to be ∼13.5-times faster than the previous values used, which were based on an analytical approximation. Significant particle anisotropies appear in the process. This enhancement of acceleration allows even 1019-eV protons and 1020-eV iron nuclei to be produced in AGNs of the local supercluster.
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Quenby, J., Lieu, R. Enhanced shock acceleration in relativistic jets and cosmic ray origin in active galactic nuclei. Nature 342, 654–656 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/342654a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/342654a0
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