Speaker
Description
Interpreting observations of extreme astrophysical phenomena requires a detailed understanding of the microphysical processes responsible for cosmic ray acceleration. In the standard picture, supernova remnants and other astrophysical shocks accelerate these particles via diffusive shock acceleration (DSA), an efficient mechanism that produces power-law distributions in momentum. However, both the multi-wavelength emission from astrophysical shocks—in particular, supernova remnants—and the populations of CRs detected at Earth reveal discrepancies between this standard theory and observations. To address these discrepancies, I will present fast, semi-analytic modeling framework that self-consistently incorporates findings from state-of-the-art kinetic simulations. I will show how this model can address key tensions between theory and observations and make predictions for multi-messenger observations. In particular, I will apply this model to a variety of astrophysical objects, including supernova remnants, novae, and winds launched by active galactic nuclei.
