Particle acceleration in relativistic subluminal shock environments

Abstract

The understanding of the particle spectra resulting from acceleration in relativistic shocks as they occur in extragalactic sources, is essential for the interpretation of the cosmic ray spectrum above the ankle ($E_p>3\cdot 10^{18}$ eV). It is believed that extragalactic sources like Active Galactic Nuclei and Gamma Ray Bursts can produce particle spectra up to $E_p\sim 10^{21}$ eV. In this contribution, subluminal shocks are investigated with respect to different shock boost factors $\Gamma$ and the inclination angle between the shock normal and the magnetic field $\psi$. A correlation between the boost factor and the spectral behavior of the emitted particles is found. The results are compared to Active Galactic Nuclei and Gamma Ray Burst diffuse cosmic ray contribution and the observed cosmic ray spectrum at the highest energies.