Physics of Gamma-Ray Bursts Prompt Emission

Figure 15

Results of a particle in cell (PIC) simulation shows the particle distribution downstream from the shock (black line). The red line is a fit with a low energy Maxwellian, and a high energy power law, with a high energy exponential cutoff. Subpanel (a) is the fit with a sum of high and low temperature Maxwellians (red line), showing a deficit at intermediate energies; subpanel (b) is the time evolution of a particle spectrum in a downstream slice at three different times. The black dashed line shows a power law. Figure taken from Spitkovsky [313].