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arXiv · 2607.08464

Photon Acceleration in Magnetized Plasma: A Mechanism for Fast Radio Bursts

Sergei V. Bulanov·Gabriele Maria Grittani·Marcel Lamac·Petr Valenta·Stepan S. Bulanov·Timur Zh. Esirkepov·Gianluca Gregori·Brandon K. Russell·Alexander G. R. Thomas·Arno Vanthieghem
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Abstract

We propose a mechanism for fast radio bursts based on photon acceleration by relativistic shocks propagating through highly magnetized electron--positron plasmas, as expected in magnetar magnetospheres. Density modulations at the shock front create relativistically moving refractive-index perturbations that transform low-frequency electromagnetic precursors into amplified high-frequency radiation. We show that the predicted frequencies, durations, and energetics of the resulting fast radio bursts are consistent with the magnetic-field strengths, shock Lorentz factors, and characteristic spatial scales expected in magnetar magnetospheres.

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Sergei V. Bulanov, Gabriele Maria Grittani, Marcel Lamac, Petr Valenta, Stepan S. Bulanov, Timur Zh. Esirkepov, Gianluca Gregori, Brandon K. Russell, Alexander G. R. Thomas, Arno Vanthieghem. 2026-07-09. Photon Acceleration in Magnetized Plasma: A Mechanism for Fast Radio Bursts. https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.08464

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