Plasma Instabilities in Gamma-Ray Bursts

Magnetic fields are important in a variety of astrophysical scenarios, ranging from possible creation mechanisms of cosmological magnetic fields through relativistic jets such as that from Active Galactic Nuclei and gamma-ray bursts to local phenomena in the solar system. Here, the outstanding importance of plasma instabilities to astrophysics is illustrated by applying the so-called neutral point method to gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), which are assumed to have a homogeneous background magnetic field. It is shown how magnetic turbulence, which is a prerequisite for the creation of dissipation and, subsequently, radiation, is created by the highly relativistic particles in the GRB jet. Using the fact that different particle compositions lead to different instability conditions, conclusions can be drawn about the particle composition of the jet, showing that it is more likely of baryonic nature.