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Context. Balmer emission may be a powerful diagnostic tool for testing the paradigm of cosmic ray (CR) acceleration in young supernova remnant (SNR) shocks. The width of the broad Balmer line is a direct indicator of the downstream plasma temperature. In the case of efficient particle acceleration, an appreciable fraction of the total kinetic energy of the plasma is channeled into CRs, therefore the downstream temperature decreases and so does the broad Balmer line width. This width also depends on the level of thermal equilibration between ions and neutral hydrogen atoms in the downstream. Since generally only a few charge exchange (CE) reactions occur before ionization in young SNR shocks, equilibration between ions and neutrals is not reached, and a kinetic description of the neutrals is required to properly compute Balmer emission. Aims. We provide a method for calculating Balmer emission using a self-consistent description of the shock structure in the presence of neutrals and CRs, which also accounts for the non-Maxwellian distribution of neutrals. Methods. We use a recently developed semi-analytical approach, where neutral particles, ionized plasma, accelerated particles, and magnetic fields are all coupled together through the mass, momentum, and energy flux-conservation equations. The distribution of neutrals is obtained from the full Boltzmann equation in velocity space, coupled to Maxwellian ions through ionization and CE processes. The computation is also an improvement over previous work thanks to a better approximation of the atomic interaction rates. Results. We find that for shock speeds ≳2500 km s-1, the distribution of broad neutrals never approaches a Maxwellian and its moments differ from those of the ionized component. These differences lead to a smaller FWHM than predicted in previous calculations, where thermalization was assumed. Conclusions. The method presented here provides a realistic estimate of particle acceleration efficiency in Balmer-dominated shocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Observation of Balmer lines from the region around the forward shock of supernova remnants may provide precious information on the shock dynamics and on the efficiency of particle acceleration at the shock. Aims. We calculate the Balmer line emission and the shape of the broad Balmer line for parameter values suitable for SNR 0509-67.5, as a function of the cosmic ray acceleration efficiency and of the level of thermal equilibrium between electrons and protons behind the shock. This calculation aims to use the width of the broad Balmer line emission to infer the cosmic ray acceleration efficiency in this remnant. Methods. We use the recently developed nonlinear theory of diffusive shock acceleration in the presence of neutrals. The semianalytical approach that we developed includes a description of magnetic field amplification as due to resonant streaming instability, the dynamical reaction of both accelerated particles and turbulent magnetic field on the shock, and all channels of interaction between neutral atoms and background plasma that change the shock dynamics. Results. We achieve a quantitative assessment of the CR acceleration efficiency in SNR 0509-67.5 as a function of the shock velocity and different levels of electron-proton thermalization in the shock region. If the shock moves faster than ~4500 km s-1, one can conclude that particle acceleration must be taking place with an efficiency of several tens of percent. For lower shock velocity the evidence of particle acceleration becomes less clear because of the uncertainty in the electron-ion equilibrium downstream. We also discuss the role of future measurements of the narrow Balmer line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]