Coherent Electromagnetic Emission from Relativistic Magnetized Shocks

Relativistic magnetized shocks are a natural source of coherent emission, offering a plausible radiative mechanism for fast radio bursts (FRBs). We present first-principles 3D simulations that provide essential information for the FRB models based on shocks: the emission efficiency, spectrum, and polarization. The simulated shock propagates in an e^{±} plasma with magnetization σ>1. The measured fraction of shock energy converted to coherent radiation is ≃10^{-3}σ^{-1}, and the energy-carrying wave number of the wave spectrum is ≃4ω_{c}/c, where ω_{c} is the upstream gyrofrequency. The ratio of the O-mode and X-mode energy fluxes emitted by the shock is ≃0.4σ^{-1}. The dominance of the X mode at σ≫1 is particularly strong, approaching 100% in the spectral band around 2ω_{c}. We also provide a detailed description of the emission mechanism for both X and O modes.