Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 July 2013
We investigated particle acceleration and shock structure associated with an unmagnetizedrelativistic jet propagating into an unmagnetized plasma. Strong magnetic fields generatedin the trailing shock contribute to the electrons transverse deflection and acceleration.We have calculated, self-consistently, the radiation from electrons accelerated in theseturbulent magnetic fields. We found that the synthetic spectra depend on the bulk Lorentzfactor of the jet, its temperature and strength of the generated magnetic fields. We havealso investigated accelerated electrons in strong magnetic fields generated by kineticshear (Kelvin-Helmholtz) instabilities. The calculated properties of the emergingradiation will guide our understanding of the complex time evolution and/or spectralstructure in gamma-ray bursts, relativistic jets in general, and supernova remnants.