The physics of particle acceleration by collisionless shocks

Using analytic theory, test-particle simulations, and self-consistent hybrid simulations, we show that quasi-perpendicular shocks—those which propagate nearly perpendicular to the upstream magnetic field—accelerate particles directly out of the incident thermal population to energies much higher than the upstream ram energy of the plasma. It has already been established that quasi-parallel shocks—those which propagate nearly in the same direction as the upstream magnetic field—efficiently accelerate particles directly out of the incident thermal population; however, this has not yet been established for quasi-perpendicular shocks. Our results can be understood within the framework of the diffusive shock acceleration theory. We find that the accelerated-particle spectrum obtained from a more-general self-consistent hybrid plasma simulation are quantitatively consistent with a less-sophisticated test-particle simulation. The implications of this are discussed.