Synchrotron Spectrum
What you are seeing: a single electron radiates a humped spectrum peaked at . A power-law electron distribution produces a power-law photon spectrum .
γ2000
log10(B / G)-4.00
p (power law)2.40
mode
α:0.70
WHAT TO TRY
- Switch to a single electron: it radiates a humped spectrum peaking at the critical frequency, proportional to gamma squared times B, so faster electrons and stronger fields push the peak up.
- Switch to a power-law ensemble: summing electrons with N(gamma) ~ gamma^-p gives a power-law spectrum of slope (p-1)/2, the fingerprint read off radio jets and supernova remnants.
- Crank B or gamma and the whole spectrum shifts up: the same physics that makes pulsar wind nebulae glow all the way from radio to gamma rays.