Cosmic-ray Acceleration and Propagation

Understand

The origin of cosmic rays (CRs) has puzzled scientists since the pioneering discovery by Victor Hess in 1912.

• In the last decade, however, modern supercomputers have opened a new window on the processes regulating astrophysical collisionless plasmas, allowing the study of CR acceleration via first-principles kinetic simulations.
• At the same time, a new-generation of X-ray and $\gamma$-ray telescopes has been collecting evidence that Galactic CRs are accelerated in the blast waves of supernova remnants (SNRs).
• I present state-of-the-art particle-in-cells simulations of non-relativistic shocks, in which ion and electron acceleration efficiency and magnetic field amplification are studied in detail as a function of the shock parameters.