Balmer line diagnostic of electron heating at collisionless shocks in supernova remnants

The mechanism and extent of electron heating at collisionless shocks has recently been under intense investigation. Hα Balmer line emission is excited immediately behind the shock front and provides the best diagnostic for the electron to proton temperature ratio at supernova remnant shocks. Two components of emission are produced, a narrow component from electron and proton impact excitation of cold neutrals, and a broad component produced through charge exchange between the cold neutrals and the shock heated protons. Thus the broad and narrow component fluxes reflect the competition between electron and proton impact ionization, electron and proton impact excitation and charge exchange. This diagnostic has led to the discovery of an approximate inverse square relationship between the electron to proton temperature ratio and the shock velocity. In turn, this implies a constant level of electron heating, independent of shock speed above ∼ 450 km/s. In this talk I will present the observational evidence to date. Time permitting, I will introduce how lower-hybrid waves in an extended cosmic ray precursor could explain such a relationship, and how this and other parameters in the Hα profile might relate to properties of cosmic rays and magnetic field amplification ahead of the shock. (author)