Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-29T18:44:36.507Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Ray Production by Current Disruption in Active Galactic Nuclei

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 August 2017

George Lake  and
R. E. Pudritz
George Lake
Affiliation:
Bell Laboratories
R. E. Pudritz
Affiliation:
Astronomy Dept., University of California

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Electrodynamic models for the activity of galactic nuclei are shown to be current systems which can be examined in terms of equivalent circuits. The resulting inductive circuit which describes the coupling of the generator (black-hole and accretion disk) to the distant load (jet plasma) is prone to various instabilities. We consider the disruption of this current system and propose that ultra-energetic cosmic rays (E~1019–1021 eV) could be produced during the discharges, which occur at distances of ~1016–1018 cm from the central massive hole (M~108 M). Such discharges will also produce variable γ-ray and X-ray activity and we discuss observations of Cen A in this regard.

Type
Session VII
Information
Symposium - International Astronomical Union , Volume 107: Unstable Current Systems and Plasma Instabilities , 1985 , pp. 471 - 473
Copyright
Copyright © Reidel 1985 

References

1. Alfvén, H. and Carlquist, P.: 1967, Solar Phys. 1, 220.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2. Blandford, R. D. and Payne, D. G.: 1982, MNRAS 199, 883.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3. Blandford, R. D. and Znajek, R. L.: 1977, MNRAS 179, 443.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4. Carlquist, P.: 1982, Astrophys. Sp. Sc. 87, 21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5. Chiu, Y. T. and Cornwall, J. M.: 1980, J. Geophys. Res. 85, 543.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6. Cunningham, G., Lloyd-Evans, J. Pollock, A., Reid, R. and Watson, A.: 1980, Ap. J. (Letters) 236, L71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7. Grindlay, J. E.: 1982, Proceedings of Int. Workshop on VHE Gamma Ray Astronomy (Ootacamund, India) in press.Google Scholar
8. Lake, G. and Pudritz, R. E.: 1983, submitted Ap. J. Google Scholar
9. Lawrence, A.: 1980, MNRAS 1982, 83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10. Lee, L. C. and Kan, J. R.: 1981, “Physics of Auroral Arc Formation” Eds. Akasofu, S-I. and Kan, J. R., American Geophys. Union.Google Scholar
11. Lovelace, R. V. E.: 1976, Nature 262, 649.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12. Lynden-Bell, D.: 1969, Nature 223, 690.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13. Pudritz, R. E. and Fahlman, G. G.: 1982, MNRAS 198, 689.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14. Spicer, O.: 1982, Sp. Sc. Rev. 31, 351.Google Scholar
15. White, R. S., Dayton, B., Gibbons, R., Long, J. L., Zanrosso, F. M., and Zych, A. D.: 1980, Nature 284, 608.CrossRefGoogle Scholar