The Converter Mechanism of Particle Acceleration and Its Applications to the Unidentified Egret Sources |
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| Authors: | E V Derishev F A Aharonian V V Kocharovsky Vl V Kocharovsky |
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| Institution: | (1) Institute of Applied Physics, 46 Ulyanov st., Nizhny Novgorod, Russia;(2) Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, Heidelberg, Germany |
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| Abstract: | We discuss the properties of gamma-ray radiation accompanying the acceleration of cosmic rays via the converter mechanism.
The mechanism exploits multiple photon-induced conversions of high-energy particles from charged into neutral state (namely,
protons to neutrons and electrons to photons) and back. Because a particle in the neutral state can freely cross the magnetic
field lines, this allows to avoid both particle losses downstream and reduction in the energy gain factor, which normally
takes place due to highly collimated distribution of accelerated particles. The converter mechanism efficiently operates in
relativistic outflows under the conditions typical for Active Galactic Nuclei, Gamma-Ray Bursts, and microquasars, where it
outperforms the standard diffusive shock acceleration.
The accompanying radiation has a number of distinctive features, such as an increase of the maximum energy of synchrotron
photons and peculiar radiation beam-pattern, whose opening angle is much wider at larger photon energies. This provides an
opportunity to observe off-axis relativistic jets in GeV–TeV energy range. One of the implications is the possibility to explain
high-latitude unidentified EGRET sources as off-axis but otherwise typical relativistic-jet sources, such as blazars. |
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| Keywords: | unidentified sources gamma-ray emission cosmic rays |
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