Magnetohydrodynamic effects in relativistic ejecta

Abstract

We study the problem of deceleration of an arbitrarily magnetized relativistic ejecta in a static unmagnetized medium and its connection to the physics of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). By computing exact solutions of the Riemann problem describing this scenario, we find that with the same initial Lorentz factor, the reverse shock becomes progressively weaker with increasing magnetization parameter σ (the Poynting-to-kinetic flux ratio). The reverse shock becomes a rarefaction wave when σ exceeds a critical value defined by the balance between magnetic pressure in the ejecta and thermal pressure in the forward shock. In the rarefaction wave regime, the rarefied region is accelerated to a Lorentz factor that is significantly larger than the initial value due to the strong magnetic pressure in the ejecta. We discuss the implications for models of GRBs. © 2010 World Scientific Publishing Company.