Abstract
We solve the full quasilinear kinetic equation governing nonresonant interactions of Alfvén waves with relativistic plasmas. This work was motivated by the need to determine the energy available for the synchrotron maser in the context of fast radio bursts (FRBs). This interaction can result in plasma heating and the formation of population inversions necessary for the maser. We find that population inversions containing ∼1%-10% of the distribution's energy form in the relativistic regime, providing an explanation for the formation of the inversion in the environment expected near FRBs.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | L121301 |
| Journal | Physical Review D |
| Volume | 107 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 15 Jun 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2023 American Physical Society.
Funding
A. P. acknowledges support from the European Union (EU) via ERC consolidator Grant No. 773062 (O. M. J. Project). K. L. acknowledges the support of the Irish Research Council through Grant No. GOIPG/2017/1146 as well as funding obtained by the above ERC grant. The authors also wish to acknowledge the Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC) for the provision of computational facilities and support. We would also like to thank the referees for their many useful comments and Antoine Bret for helpful discussions.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| European Commission | |
| European Commission | 773062 |
| Irish Research Council | GOIPG/2017/1146 |