Enhancing the relative Fe-to-proton abundance in ultra-high-energy cosmic rays

We study a generic class of models for ultra-high energy cosmic ray (UHECR) phenomenology, in which the sources accelerate protons and nuclei with a power-law spectrum having the same index, but with different values for the maximum proton energies, distributed according to a power-law. We show that, for energies sufficiently lower than the maximum proton energy, such models are equivalent to single-type source models, with a larger effective power law index and a heavier composition at the source. We calculate the resulting enhancement of the abundance of nuclei, and find typical values of a factor 2-10 for Fe nuclei. At the highest energies, the heavy nuclei enhancement ratios become larger, and the granularity of the sources must also be taken into account. We conclude that the effect of a distribution of maximum energies among sources must be considered in order to understand both the energy spectrum and the composition of UHECRs, as measured on Earth.     

The electron-proton abundance ratio in cosmic rays

An attempt has been made to understand the electron-proton abundance ratio in cosmic rays observed near the Earth. After correction for interplanetary and interstellar effects, the ratio has been obtained near the source boundary. A leaky source model which can describe consistently all components of the cosmic radiation was then used to obtain the abundance inside the source. Possible effects of injection and acceleration processes on the ratio are examined. From these considerations the most plausible mechanism seems to be injection of electrons and protons by hot gas, and their acceleration by a mixture of Fermi and betatron processes; this is followed by leakage of particles into interstellar space in a rigidity dependent fashion.     

The acceleration and propagation of solar cosmic rays as deduced from the relative abundance of protons to helium nuclei

Except for protons, the chemical composition of solar cosmic rays is very similar to the abundance of the elements at the photosphere of the Sun. If we consider the relative abundance ratio of protons to -particles (P/) at constant rigidity, this ratio is highly variable from one solar cosmic ray event to another. This ratio observed at the Earth, however, decreases monotonically with time from the onset of solar flares and, furthermore, is dependent on the heliocentric distance of the parent flares from the central meridian of the solar disk. P/'s which have been measured before the onset of SC geomagnetic storms change from 1.5 to 50 or more, being a function of the westward position of the source from the east limb of the Sun. These variations with respect to time and heliocentric distance suggest that the propagation of solar cosmic rays is strongly modulated in the interplanetary space. The major part of the -particles seem to propagate as if they are trapped within the magnetic clouds which produce SC geomagnetic and cosmic ray storms at the earth.The chemical composition and rigidity spectra of solar cosmic rays suggest that solar cosmic rays are mainly accelerated by the Fermi mechanism in solar flares. The observed variation of P/'s is produced mainly through the difference between the propagation characteristics of protons and -particles.NAS-NRC Associate with NASA.     

The relative abundance of the isotopes of Li,Be and B and the age of cosmic rays

Using a balloon borne double dE/dx x total energy telescope we have determined the isotopic composition of cosmic ray Li, Be and B nuclei in the energy range 100–250 MeV nuc.^–1. The measured mass resolution, for these nuclei is 0.3 AMU. The observed isotopic composition is in agreement with that predicted on the basis of interstellar fragmentation with the exception of a deficiency of Be¹⁰. If the low abundance of Be¹⁰ is attributed to the decay of this radioactive isotope we obtain a mean cosmic ray lifetime of (3.4 _–1.3 ^+3.4 )×10⁶ yr.A recent measurement which we have used in this paper gives this lifetime to be (1.5±0.3)×10⁶ yr (Yiou and Raisbeck, 1972).     

Elemental abundance enhancement in cosmic rays and their relation to interstellar depletion

We have shown that a correlation exists between the enhancement of abundance of heavy nuclei in cosmic rays and their depletion in interstellar space. A correlation also exists between the abundance enhancement and condensation temperature. We suggest that these correlations imply that much of the heavy nuclei content of cosmic rays may come from grains. A possible model is that grains in star-cloud complexes are accelerated to injection energies by radiation pressure in a supernova explosion and, subsequently, the grain debris is accelerated by shocks to cosmic ray energies.     

Measurement of the flux of ultra high energy cosmic rays by the stereo technique

The High Resolution Fly’s Eye (HiRes) experiment has measured the flux of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays using the stereoscopic air fluorescence technique. The HiRes experiment consists of two detectors that observe cosmic ray showers via the fluorescence light they emit. HiRes data can be analyzed in monocular mode, where each detector is treated separately, or in stereoscopic mode where they are considered together. Using the monocular mode the HiRes collaboration measured the cosmic ray spectrum and made the first observation of the Greisen–Zatsepin–Kuzmin cutoff. In this paper we present the cosmic ray spectrum measured by the stereoscopic technique. Good agreement is found with the monocular spectrum in all details.     

The Os-Pt-Hg abundance peak in Ap stars and the problem of very heavy cosmic rays

Relative abundances in the region 74Z83 (W to Bi) are determined for 73 Dra, HR 4072, and some other Ap stars. Abundance peaks occur at atomic massesA=191±2 on 73 Dra, atA=201±3 on HR 4072, atA=199±5 on other main group Ap stars, and atA=201±2 on Mn stars. Pb has a relatively low abundance on Ap stars and also in cosmic rays which have an abundance peak atA=193±3. The abundance peaks on main group Ap stars are due to the cyclicr-process which occurred in explosions of former companion stars. Fission products of transuranic elements are recycled by further rapid neutron captures. At the end of ther-process, the high neutron flux decreases gradually so that the final -decays take place in a neutron-rich environment; superheavy elements (Z110) formed in ther-process may be partly destroyed by neutron-induced fission. The pulsar remnants of the explosions accelerater-process elements to cosmic-ray energies. The peak atA 201 on Mn stars is discussed briefly.     

On the flux of neutrons from flares

Under the assumption that white-light flares are caused by energetic particles penetrating into the photosphere (vestka, 1970a; Najita and Orrall, 1970) the known number of protons needed for the white-light emission is used to obtain an estimate of the production of neutrons occurring at the same time. In the case of the white-light flare of 23 May, 1967, the peak flux of neutrons at the Earth distance had to exceed 3 neutrons/cm²s, thus being detectable in space. This maximum neutron flux reached the Earth as early as the time of the maximum phase of the flare in the H light. However, reasonable estimates show that flares associated with a detectable neutron flux should be fairly rare phenomena, maybe as rare as the white-light flares.On leave from the Astronomical Institute of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Ondejov.     

PeV gamma rays from interactions of ultra high energy cosmic rays in the Milky Way

The PeV gamma ray background produced in the interactions of ultra high energy cosmic rays with the ambient matter and radiations during their propagation in the Milky Way has been calculated in this paper. If the primary ultra high energy cosmic rays are produced from Galactic point sources then those point sources are also emitting PeV gamma rays. We discuss that the detection of galactocentric PeV gamma rays in the future would be a signature of the presence of EeV cosmic accelerators in the Milky Way.     

On the acceleration of cosmic rays

The intensive acceleration of energetic charged particles in perpendicular shock waves which has been known to take place in the interplanetary medium has been utilized in this work in order to account for the energization of cosmic rays. It is proposed that cosmic rays can be accelerated up to 10¹⁴–10¹⁵ eV in successive perpendicular shock waves which appear inside supernova shells in our Galaxy.     

Transport of cosmic rays in the solar corona

A model is proposed to explain the transport of energetic protons in the solar corona. The particles are assumed to undergo an enhanced gradient-B drift along thin current sheets separating discontinuous field structures in the corona. These discontinuities may represent the extension into the corona of photospheric granular and supergranular cell boundaries. We have made a quantitative analysis of this process by assuming that the particle propagation can be described by a diffusion equation. Comparison of predictions of the model with cosmic ray observations at 1 AU provide some support for the model.     

The relative abundance of the carbon isotopes12C and13C in primary cosmic radiation

Mass measurements have been performed on stopping cosmic ray carbon nuclei in a nuclear emulsion stack, which was exposed to the primary radiation in a high altitude balloon flight. The mass determinations are based on measurements of mean track width and residual range in the range intervals 0<R<0.75 mm and 1<R<12 mm. The mean track width measurements have been performed with nuclear track photometers of special construction. The mass measurements in the interval 0<R<0.75 mm have given a nearly symmetrical mass distribution. The width of the distribution is equal to that expected for a distribution which contains only one isotope. The result indicates that one of the stable isotopes is appreciably more abundant than the other. The measurements in the range interval 1<R<12 mm gave the isotopic ratio¹³C/¹²C+¹³C)=0.08. The ratio has been extrapolated to the cosmic ray source. It is found to be smaller in the source than at the point of measurement. Different assumptions about the origin of the cosmic radiation are discussed with regard to the results obtained in this investigation.     

Pulsars and the origin of cosmic rays

The capabilities and limitations of pulsars as sources of cosmic rays are reviewed in the light of experimental observations. Pulsars can supply the cosmic ray power if they have rotational velocities in excess of 700 rad s^?1 at birth. Though this is theoretically possible, there is no experimental proof for the same. Pulsars can accelerate particles to the highest energies of 10²⁰ eV, but in general, the spectra on simple considerations, turn out to be flatter than the observed cosmic ray spectrum. At the highest energies, absorption processes due to fragmentation and photodisintegration dominate for heavy nuclei. The existence of a steady flux of cosmic rays of energy greater than 10¹⁷ eV demands acceleration of particles to last over fifty years, the time interval between supernovae outbursts, whereas the expected period of activity is less than a few years. Finally, the problem of anisotropy with relevance to pulsars as sources and the possibility of observing pulsar accelerated particles from galactic clusters is considered.     

Cosmic neutrinos from the sources of galactic and extragalactic cosmic rays

Although kilometer-scale neutrino detectors such as IceCube are discovery instruments, their conceptual design is very much anchored to the observational fact that Nature produces protons and photons with energies in excess of 10²⁰ eV and 10¹³ eV, respectively. The puzzle of where and how Nature accelerates the highest energy cosmic particles is unresolved almost a century after their discovery. From energetics considerations we anticipate on the order of 10–100 neutrino events per kilometer squared per year pointing back at the source(s) of both galactic and extragalactic cosmic rays. In this context, we discuss the results of the AMANDA and IceCube neutrino telescopes which will deliver a kilometer-square-year of data over the next 3 years.     

Path length distribution of cosmic rays from pulsar nebula complexes

Particles accelerated in the vicinity of pulsars have to traverse the nebular matter surrounding pulsars. Using the variation of pulsar luminosity and nebular expansion, the path length distribution for the particle radiation is deduced and compared with that obtained from experimental observation. It is found that a significant amount of matter traversed by cosmic rays can be in the source itself; but it is not possible to simultaneously account for the production of secondary electrons and secondary nuclei with the same set of parameters.     

Propagation of galactic cosmic rays in the outer heliosphere

The propagation of galactic cosmic rays in heliospheric magnetic fields is studied. An approximate solution to the cosmic ray transport equation has been derived on the basis of a method that takes into account the small value of anisotropy of particle angular distribution. The spatial and energy distributions of the cosmic ray intensity and anisotropy have been investigated, and estimates of cosmic ray energy flux have been carried out.     

Energy changes of cosmic rays in the interplanetary region

A clarification and discussion of the energy changes experienced by cosmic rays in the interplanetary region is presented. It is shown that the mean time rate of change of momentum of cosmic rays reckoned for a fixed volume in a reference frame fixed in the solar system is 〈p〉 =p V·G/3 (p=momentum,V is the solar wind velocity andG=cosmic-ray density gradient). This result is obtained in three ways:

1. by a rearrangement and reinterpretation of the cosmic-ray continuity equation;
2. by using a scattering analysis based on that of Gleeson and Axford (1967);
3. by using a special scattering model in which cosmic-rays are trapped in ‘magnetic boxes’ moving with the solar wind.

The third method also gives the rate of change of momentum of particles within a moving ‘magnetic box’ as 〈p〉_ad = ?p ?·V/3, which is the adiabatic deceleration rate of Parker (1965). We conclude that ‘turnaround’ energy change effects previously considered separately are already included in the equation of transport for cosmic rays.