Speed-dependent Threshold for Electron Injection into Diffusive Shock Acceleration

Abstract

Finding the injection threshold for diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) of electrons in collisionless shocks has been a longstanding unsolved problem. Using first-principles kinetic simulations, we identify the conditions for electron injection into DSA and quantify the evolution of the nonthermal tail in self-generated electromagnetic turbulence. By analyzing electron trajectories and their momentum gain during shock-recrossing cycles, we demonstrate that electrons start participating in DSA when their speed is large enough to overrun the shock. We develop a minimal model showing that speed-dependent injection reproduces nonthermal electron spectra observed in kinetic simulations. Our findings establish a new criterion for electron DSA, which has broad implications for the nonthermal emission of shock-powered space/astrophysical systems.