Cosmic Ray Acceleration at Relativistic Shock Waves

Abstract

Theory of the first-order Fermi acceleration of cosmic ray particles at relativistic shock waves is reviewed. We consider shocks with parallel and oblique, sub- and super-luminal magnetic field configurations and with finite-amplitude magnetic field perturbations. A role of oblique field configurations and field perturbations in forming the cosmic ray energy spectrum and changing the acceleration time scale is discussed.

TeX, 11 pages + 6 postscript figures; a review to be published in Proc. ICRR Symposium on Extremely High Energy Cosmic Rays, ed. M. Nagano, Tanashi