Electron Acceleration Simulations (EASI): An open-source tool to simulate electron acceleration in shocks

Abstract

<p><em>Aims.</em> The aim of the this work is to investigate electron acceleration in shocks and present an easy-to-use simulation model that can be used to check resulting energetic particle populations from shock interactions.</p><p><em>Methods.</em> A new open-source model is presented in the work for investigation of electron acceleration and electron beam generation and for further research within the heliophysics community. The model is a one-dimensional Monte Carlo model with physical input parameters, in which particles obey a transport equation in a large-scale field with focusing caused by magnetic field gradients and in which the effects of a small-scale turbulent field on charged particles are described by pitch-angle scattering. The shock has a finite thickness and an adjustable mean free path profile. Particles are injected monoenergetically and with energies sampled from a Maxwellian distribution to investigate attained energies and beam generation.</p><p><em>Results.</em> The simulation results indicate that particles can be accelerated to energies of >100 keV from a 1 keV monoenergetic injection with plasma and shock parameters corresponding to coronal shock environments. An electron beam linked to radio observations of shock waves can also be generated with sufficiently high shock obliquities and, in particular, with a Maxwellian distribution of particle injection energies. Moreover, as the model performs computationally well and corresponds to expectations based on physics, it is an excellent tool for investigating energetic electrons and radio observations corresponding to the electron beams generated in shock waves.</p>