relativistic shocks

Relativistic shocks occur when particles or plasma, moving at speeds close to the speed of light, collide with each other or encounter a boundary, causing a sudden change in their properties like speed, pressure, and density. These shocks are important in astrophysics, for example, in phenomena such as jets from black holes or gamma-ray bursts. Because the particles approach light speed, Einstein’s theory of relativity must be used to accurately describe their behavior. In essence, relativistic shocks are extremely energetic collisions that accelerate particles to high energies, shaping some of the most violent events in the universe.