Cavitation instability in unmagnetized relativistic pair shocks
Phys. Rev. D 113, 023006 – Published 6 January, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/qqvy-v4x7
Abstract
We investigate the formation of plasma cavities in unmagnetized relativistic pair-plasma shocks and demonstrate that these cavities emerge naturally as a nonlinear consequence of an asymmetric Weibel instability. We provide an intuitive physical picture and a minimal fluid model that captures the essential features of this cavitation instability and compare them with particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation results. The cavitation instability constitutes the initial nonlinear stage that, according to PIC simulations, leads to the development of larger-scale magnetic structures in relativistic shocks.
