Abstract
Multi-dimensional effects on electron motion in a magnetosonic shock wave propagating obliquely to an external magnetic field are studied by means of a two-dimensional (two space coordinates and three velocities), relativistic, electromagnetic particle code. The simulations demonstrate that after trapping and energization in the main pulse of the shock wave, some electrons are detrapped from it while maintaining their ultrarelativistic energies. The detrapping is caused by magnetic fluctuations propagating along the wave front. Furthermore, some of the detrapped electrons are found to be accelerated by the shock wave to much higher energies because they can enter and exit the shock wave several times as a result of their gyromotions.
