Parametric decay instability of circularly polarized Alfvén waves in magnetically dominated plasma.

We investigate parametric decay instability (PDI) of circularly polarized Alfvén wave into daughter acoustic wave and backward Alfvén wave in magnetically dominated plasma, in which the magnetization parameter σ (energy density ratio of background magnetic field to matter) exceeds unity. We analyze relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), focusing on wave frequencies sufficiently lower than the plasma and cyclotron frequencies. We derive analytical formulas for the dispersion relation and growth rate of the instability as a function of the magnetization σ, wave amplitude η, and plasma temperature θ.

TeV-PeV neutrinos from low-power gamma-ray burst jets inside stars.

We study high-energy neutrino production in collimated jets inside progenitors of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and supernovae, considering both collimation and internal shocks. We obtain simple, useful constraints, using the often overlooked point that shock acceleration of particles is ineffective at radiation-mediated shocks. Classical GRBs may be too powerful to produce high-energy neutrinos inside stars, which is consistent with IceCube nondetections.