Speaker
Description
Both observational evidence as well as theoretical considerations from MHD simulations of jets suggest that the relativistic jets of active galactic nuclei (AGN) are radially stratified, with a fast inner spine surrounded by a slower-moving outer sheath. The resulting relativistic shear layers are a prime candidate for the site of relativistic particle acceleration in the jets of AGN and gamma ray bursts (GRBs). In this talk, we will present results of particle-in-cell simulations of magnetic-field generation and particle acceleration in the relativistic shear boundary layers (SBLs) of jets in AGN and GRBs including the self-consistent calculation of the radiation spectrum produced by inverse Compton scattering of relativistic electrons in an external soft photon field.
