Cosmic Ray Acceleration in Supernova Remnants

Rebecca Danos

February 19, 2013

–

Abstract: In this talk we will be exploring the role of the diffusion coefficient in cosmic ray acceleration in supernova remnants. An outstanding mystery in astrophysics is how particles can be accelerated to such high energies (10^15 eV or higher). Does the diffusion coefficient play a role? Can changing the diffusion coefficient accelerate the cosmic rays to higher energies? Is the standard assumption in the literature of Bohm diffusion, or Bohm-like diffusion, in which the particle mean free path is the gyroradius of the particle in the magnetic field, correct? In this talk we will explore these questions and challenge the standard assumption of Bohm diffusion.