A role of cosmic rays in generation of radio and optical radiation by plasma mechanisms

The radiation of ultrarelativistic particles is examined in a quasi-uniform magnetic field superimposed by a wide spectrum of magnetic, electric, and electron density inhomogeneities created in a turbulent plasma. The radiation spectrum from a particle of a given energy is shown to acquire a high-frequency power-law tail with the same spectral index as the index of small-scale turbulence. For a power-law spectrum of ultrarelativistic electrons, dN()/d ~ ^–, with a cut-off at some energy _max, the radiation spectrum consists of a few power-law ranges; the radiation intensity may suffer jumps at frequencies which separate these ranges.In the high-frequency range the spectral index is determined by small-scale magnetic and electric fields. At intermediate frequencies the main contribution comes from the synchrotron radiation in a large-scale field; the radiation spectrum has an index =(–1)/2. The same index may be produced by large-scale Langmuir waves. At lower frequencies the radiation spectrum increases owing to the transition radiation caused by electron density fluctuations; in this case the spectral index is equal to +1–.The possibility of diagnostics of high-frequency cosmic plasma turbulence from radiation of high-energy particles is discussed. It is shown that the proposed theory may explain some features in the spectra of several cosmic objects.