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Magnetized current filaments as a source of circularly polarized light

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2021

U. Sinha Open the ORCID record for U. Sinha [Opens in a new window] ,
K. M. Schoeffler Open the ORCID record for K. M. Schoeffler [Opens in a new window] ,
J. Martins ,
J. Vieira Open the ORCID record for J. Vieira [Opens in a new window] ,
R. A. Fonseca Open the ORCID record for R. A. Fonseca [Opens in a new window]  and
L. O. Silva Open the ORCID record for L. O. Silva [Opens in a new window]
U. Sinha
Affiliation:
GoLP/Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001Lisboa, Portugal Institute for Advanced Simulation, Jülich Supercomputing Centre, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425Jülich, Germany
K. M. Schoeffler*
Affiliation:
GoLP/Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001Lisboa, Portugal
J. Martins
Affiliation:
GoLP/Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001Lisboa, Portugal
J. Vieira
Affiliation:
GoLP/Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001Lisboa, Portugal
R. A. Fonseca
Affiliation:
GoLP/Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001Lisboa, Portugal DCTI/ISCTE Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, 1649-026Lisboa, Portugal
L. O. Silva
Affiliation:
GoLP/Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001Lisboa, Portugal
*
†Email address for correspondence: kevin.schoeffler@tecnico.ulisboa.pt
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Abstract

We show that the Weibel or current filamentation instability can lead to the emission of circularly polarized radiation. Using particle-in-cell simulations and a radiation post-processing numerical algorithm, we demonstrate that the level of circular polarization increases with the initial plasma magnetization, saturating at ${\sim }13\,\%$ when the magnetization, given by the ratio of magnetic energy density to the electron kinetic energy density, is larger than 0.05. Furthermore, we show that this effect requires an ion–electron mass ratio greater than unity. These findings, which could also be tested in currently available laboratory conditions, show that the recent observation of circular polarization in gamma-ray burst afterglows could be attributed to the presence of magnetized current filaments driven by the Weibel or current filamentation instability.

Keywords

astrophysical plasmas
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Plasma Physics , Volume 87 , Issue 1 , February 2021 , 905870114
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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References

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