Centrifugal acceleration in the isotropic photon field
Abstract
In this paper, we study centrifugal acceleration of particles moving along a prescribed rotating curved trajectories. We consider the physical system embedded in an isotropic photon field and study the influence of the photon drag force on the acceleration process. For this purpose, we study three major configurations of the field lines: the straight line, the Archimede spiral and the dipolar field line configuration. By analyzing dynamics of particles sliding along the field lines in the equatorial plane, we have found several interesting features of motion. In particular, it has been shown that for rectilinear field lines, the particles reach the light cylinder (area where the linear velocity of rotation exactly equals the speed of light) zone relatively slowly for bigger drag forces. Considering the Archimedes’ spiral, we have found that in cases when the field lines lag behind the rotation, the particles achieve the force-free regime of dynamics regardless of the drag force. Unlike this scenario, when the spiral is oriented in an opposite direction, the particles do not reach the force free regime, but tend to stable equilibrium locations.
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