Monte Carlo simulations of a diffusive shock with multiple scattering angular distributions^⋆

¹ Key Laboratory of Solar Activities of National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100012 Beijing, PR China
e-mail: wangxin@nao.cas.cn
² State Key Laboratory of Space Weather, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100080 Beijing, PR China

Received: 26 February 2011
Accepted: 27 March 2011

Abstract

Aims. We independently develop a simulation code following the previous dynamical Monte Carlo simulation of the diffusive shock acceleration under the isotropic scattering law during the scattering process, and the same results are obtained.

Methods. Since the same results test the validity of the dynamical Monte Carlo method for simulating a collisionless shock, we extend the simulation toward including an anisotropic scattering law for further developing this dynamical Monte Carlo simulation. Under this extended anisotropic scattering law, a Gaussian distribution function is used to describe the variation of scattering angles in the particle’s local frame.

Results. As a result, we obtain a series of different shock structures and evolutions in terms of the standard deviation values of the given Gaussian scattering angular distributions.

Conclusions. We find that the total energy spectral index increases as the standard deviation value of the scattering angular distribution increases, but the subshock’s energy spectral index decreases as the standard deviation value of the scattering angular distribution increases.