Contribution of nuclei accelerated by gamma-ray pulsars to cosmic rays in the Galaxy

We consider the galactic population of gamma-ray pulsars as possible sources of cosmic rays at and just above the “knee” in the observed cosmic ray spectrum at 10¹⁵–10¹⁶ eV. We suggest that iron nuclei may be accelerated in the outer gaps of pulsars, and then suffer partial photo-disintegration in the non-thermal radiation fields of the outer gaps. As a result, protons, neutrons, and surviving heavier nuclei are injected into the expanding supernova remnant. We compute the spectra of nuclei escaping from supernova remnants into the interstellar medium, taking into account the observed population of radio pulsars.

Our calculations, which include a realistic model for acceleration and propagation of nuclei in pulsar magnetospheres and supernova remnants, predict that heavy nuclei accelerated directly by gamma-ray pulsars could contribute about 20% of the observed cosmic rays in the knee region. Such a contribution of heavy nuclei to the cosmic ray spectrum at the knee can significantly increase the average value of lnA with increasing energy as is suggested by recent observations.     

Hard component of ultra-high energy cosmic rays and vortons

Observed events of ultra-high energy cosmic rays may indicate a hard component for the energy spectrum of their flux, which might have origin in the decay of long-lived vortons presumably condensed in the galactic halo. To be consistent with the needed present density, vortons may have been formed during the breaking of an abelian symmetry contained in a large GUT group like E₆ and a part of them could have survived the destabilization caused by the electroweak transition.     

Search for point-like sources of cosmic rays with energies above 10 eV in the HiRes-I monocular data set

We report the results of a search for point-like deviations from isotropy in the arrival directions of ultra-high energy cosmic rays in the northern hemisphere. In the monocular data set collected by the High-Resolution Fly’s Eye, consisting of 1525 events with energy exceeding 10^18.5 eV, we find no evidence for point-like excesses. We place a 90% c.l. upper limit of 0.8 hadronic cosmic rays/km² yr on the flux from such sources for the northern hemisphere and place tighter limits as a function of position in the sky.     

Centaurus A as a source of extragalactic cosmic rays with arrival energies well beyond the GZK cutoff

The ultra-high energy cosmic rays recently detected by several air shower experiments could have an extragalactic origin. In this case, the nearest active galaxy Centaurus A might be the source of the most energetic particles ever detected on Earth. We have used recent radio observations in order to estimate the arrival energy of the protons accelerated by strong shock fronts in the outer parts of this southern radio source. We expect detections coresponding to particles with energies up to 2.2 × 10²¹ eV and an arrival direction of (l ≈ 310°, b ≈ 20°) in galactic coordinates. The future Southern Hemisphere Pierre Auger Observatory might provide a decisive test for extragalactic models of the origin of the ultra-high energy cosmic rays.     

The cosmic ray energy spectrum between 10 and 10 eV

The energy spectrum of cosmic rays with primary energies between 10¹⁴ eV and 10¹⁶ eV has been studied with the CASA-MIA air shower array. The measured differential energy spectrum is a power law (dj/dE ∝ E^−y) with spectral indices γ of 2.66±0.02 below approximately 10¹⁵ eV and 3.00±0.05 above. A new method is used for measuring primary energy derived from ground-based data in a compositionally insensitive way. In contrast with some previous reports, the “knee” of the energy spectrum does not appear sharp, but rather a smooth transition over energies from 10¹⁵ eV to 3.0 × 10¹⁵ eV.     

Gamma-ray bursters as sources of cosmic rays

From the little we know of the physical conditions in γ-ray bursters, it seems that they are potentially effective in the acceleration of high-energy cosmic rays (CRs), especially if the bursters are at cosmological distances. We find that, with the observed statistics and fluxes of γ-ray bursts, cosmological bursters may be an important source of cosmic rays in two regions of the observed spectrum: (1) At the very-high-energy end (E > 10¹⁹ eV), where CRs must be of extragalactic origin. (2) Around and above the spectral feature that has been described as a bump and/or a knee, which occurs around 10¹⁵ eV. The occasional bursters that occur inside the Galaxy — about once in a few hundred thousand years if burst emission is isotropic; more often, if it is beamed — could maintain the density of galactic cosmic rays at the observed level in this range. These two energy ranges might correspond to two typical CR energy scales characteristic of bursters: one pertinent to CR acceleration due to interaction of a magnetized-fireball front with an ambient medium; the other to acceleration in the fireball itself (e.g. shock acceleration).     

The cosmic ray primary composition in the “knee” region through the EAS electromagnetic and muon measurements at EAS-TOP

The evolution of the cosmic ray primary composition in the energy range 10⁶–10⁷ GeV (i.e. the “knee” region) is studied by means of the e.m. and muon data of the Extensive Air Shower EAS-TOP array (Campo Imperatore, National Gran Sasso Laboratories). The measurement is performed through: (a) the correlated muon number (N_μ) and shower size (N_e) spectra, and (b) the evolution of the average muon numbers and their distributions as a function of the shower size. From analysis (a) the dominance of helium primaries at the knee, and therefore the possibility that the knee itself is due to a break in their energy spectrum (at E_k^He=(3.5±0.3)×10⁶ GeV) are deduced. Concerning analysis (b), the measurement accuracies allow the classification in terms of three mass groups: light (p,He), intermediate (CNO), and heavy (Fe). At primary energies E₀≈10⁶ GeV the results are consistent with the extrapolations of the data from direct experiments. In the knee region the obtained evolution of the energy spectra leads to: (i) an average steep spectrum of the light mass group (γ_p,He>3.1), (ii) a spectrum of the intermediate mass group harder than the one of the light component (γ_CNO2.75, possibly bending at E_k^CNO≈(6–7)×10⁶ GeV), (iii) a constant slope for the spectrum of the heavy primaries (γ_Fe2.3–2.7) consistent with the direct measurements. In the investigated energy range, the average primary mass increases from lnA=1.6–1.9 at E₀1.5×10⁶ GeV to lnA=2.8–3.1 at E₀1.5×10⁷ GeV. The result supports the standard acceleration and propagation models of galactic cosmic rays that predict rigidity dependent cut-offs for the primary spectra of the different nuclei. The uncertainties connected to the hadronic interaction model (QGSJET in CORSIKA) used for the interpretation are discussed.     

Implications of particle acceleration in active galactic nuclei for cosmic rays and high energy neutrino astronomy

We consider the production of high energy neutrinos and cosmic rays in radio-quiet active galactic nuclei (AGN) or in the central regions of radio-loud AGN. We use a model in which acceleration of protons takes place at a shock in an accretion flow onto a supermassive black hole, and follow the cascade that results from interactions of the accelerated protons in the AGN environment. We use our results to estimate the diffuse high energy neutrino intensity and cosmic ray intensity due to AGN. We discuss our results in the context of high energy neutrino telescopes under construction, and measurements of the cosmic ray composition in the region of the “knee” in the energy spectrum at 10⁷ GeV.     

Gamma rays from molecular clouds

It is believed that the observed diffuse gamma-ray emission from the galactic plane is the result of interactions between cosmic rays and the interstellar gas. Such emission can be amplified if cosmic rays penetrate into dense molecular clouds. The propagation of cosmic rays inside a molecular cloud has been studied assuming an arbitrary energy and space dependent diffusion coefficient. If the diffusion coefficient inside the cloud is significantly smaller compared to the average one derived for the galactic disk, the observed gamma-ray spectrum appears harder than the cosmic ray spectrum, mainly due to the slower penetration of the low energy particles towards the core of the cloud. This may produce a great variety of gamma-ray spectra.     

Chemical composition of primary cosmic rays with energies from 10 to 10 eV

The chemical composition of primary cosmic rays with energies from 10¹⁵ to 10^16.5 eV, so called “knee” region, is examined. We have observed the time structures of air Čerenkov light associated with air showers at Mt. Chacaltaya, Bolivia, since 1995. The distribution of a parameter that characterizes the observed time structures is compared with that calculated with a Monte Carlo technique for various chemical compositions. Then the energy dependence of the average logarithmic mass numbers ln A of the primary cosmic rays is determined. The present result at 10^15.3 eV is almost consistent with the result of JACEE (A12) and shows gradual increase in ln A as a function of the primary energy (A24 at 10¹⁶ eV). Form the comparison of the observational results with several theoretical models, we conclude that the supernova explosion of massive stars is a plausible candidate for the origin of cosmic rays around the “knee” region.     

The Galactic magnetic field as spectrograph for ultra-high energy cosmic rays

We study the influence of the regular component of the Galactic magnetic field (GMF) on the arrival directions of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). We find that, if the angular resolution of current experiments has to be fully exploited, deflections in the GMF cannot be neglected even for E = 10²⁰ eV protons, especially for trajectories along the Galactic plane or crossing the Galactic center region. On the other hand, the GMF could be used as a spectrograph to discriminate among different source models and/or primaries of UHECRs, if its structure would be known with sufficient precision. We compare several GMF models introduced in the literature and discuss for the example of the AGASA data set how the significance of small-scale clustering or correlations with given astrophysical sources are affected by the GMF. We point out that the non-uniform exposure to the extragalactic sky induced by the GMF should be taken into account estimating the significance of potential (auto-) correlation signals.     

Kolmogorov–Smirnov test as a tool to study the distribution of ultra-high energy cosmic ray sources

We analyse in detail the two-dimensional Kolmogorov–Smirnov test as a tool to learn about the distribution of the sources of the ultra-high energy cosmic rays. We confront, in particular, models based on active galactic nuclei observed in X-rays, galaxies observed in H  i and isotropic distributions, discussing how this method can be used not only to reject isotropy but also to support or reject specific source models, extending results obtained recently in the literature.     

Measurement of the cosmic-ray energy spectrum above 1016 eV with the LOFAR Radboud Air Shower Array

The energy reconstruction of extensive air showers measured with the LOFAR Radboud Air Shower Array (LORA) is presented in detail. LORA is a particle detector array located in the center of the LOFAR radio telescope in the Netherlands. The aim of this work is to provide an accurate and independent energy measurement for the air showers measured through their radio signal with the LOFAR antennas. The energy reconstruction is performed using a parameterized relation between the measured shower size and the cosmic-ray energy obtained from air shower simulations. In order to illustrate the capabilities of LORA, the all-particle cosmic-ray energy spectrum has been reconstructed, assuming that cosmic rays are composed only of protons or iron nuclei in the energy range between ∼2 × 10¹⁶ and 2 × 10¹⁸ eV. The results are compatible with literature values and a changing mass composition in the transition region from a Galactic to an extragalactic origin of cosmic rays.     

The possibility of investigating ultra-high-energy cosmic-ray sources using data on the extragalactic diffuse gamma-ray emission

We provide our estimates of the intensity of the gamma-ray emission with an energy near 0.1 TeV generated in intergalactic space in the interactions of cosmic rays with background emissions. We assume that the cosmic-ray sources are pointlike and that these are active galactic nuclei. The following possible types of sources are considered: remote and powerful ones, at redshifts up to z = 1.1, with a monoenergetic particle spectrum, E = 10²¹ eV; the same objects, but with a power-law particle spectrum; and nearby sources at redshifts 0 < z ≤ 0.0092, i.e., at distances no larger than 50 Mpc also with a power-law particle spectrum. The contribution of cosmic rays to the extragalactic diffuse gammaray background at an energy of 0.1 TeVhas been found to depend on the type of sources or, more specifically, the contribution ranges from f ? 10^?4 to f ≈ 0.1, depending on the source model. We conclude that the data on the extragalactic background gamma-ray emission can be used to determine the characteristics of extragalactic cosmic-ray sources, i.e., their distances and the pattern of the particle energy spectrum.     

Ultra high energy cosmic rays and the Galactic halo

An analysis has been made of the fraction of ultra high energy cosmic rays (above 10¹⁸ eV) which could be due to processes involved in two possible ‘Models’. The first is the Giant Magnetic Halo Model and the second is the Dark Matter Halo Model. We find that the former, in which heavy nuclei are trapped in a giant halo, fails for energies above about 3 × 10¹⁹ eV. For the Dark Matter Halo Model, in which relic particles follow the “conventional” dark matter and whose decays give ultra high energy cosmic rays, the predicted anisotropies are much higher than those observed. The lack of observation of a finite flux from the Andromeda Galaxy means that the conclusion is insensitive to the spatial scale size of the assumed halo distribution. It is concluded that less than 10% of the ultra high energy cosmic rays come from relic particles in the Galactic halo.     

Extragalactic cosmic rays and the galactic magnetic field

The origin and behavior of cosmic rays in the Galaxy depends crucially upon whether the galactic magnetic field has a closed topology, as does the field of Earth, or whether a major fraction of the lines of force connect into extragalactic space. If the latter, then cosmic rays could be of extragalactic origin, or they could be of galactic origin, detained in the Galaxy by the scattering offered by hydromagnetic waves, etc. If, on the other hand, the field is largely closed, then cosmic rays cannot be of extragalactic origin (at least below 10¹⁶ eV). They must be of galactic origin and escape because their collective pressure inflates the galactic field and they push their way out.This paper examines the structure of a galactic field that opens initially into intergalactic space and, with the inclusion of turbulent diffusion, finds no possibility for maintaining a significant magnetic connection with an extragalactic field. Unless some mechanism can be found, we are forced to the conclusion that the field is closed, that cosmic rays are of galactic origin, and that cosmic rays escape from the Galaxy only by pushing their way out.     

Galactic PeV neutrinos

The IceCube experiment has detected two neutrinos with energies between 1 and 10 PeV. They might have originated from Galactic or extragalactic sources of cosmic rays. In the present work we consider hadronic interactions of the diffuse very high energy cosmic rays with the interstellar matter within our Galaxy to explain the PeV neutrino events detected in IceCube. We also expect PeV gamma ray events along with the PeV neutrino events if the observed PeV neutrinos were produced within our Galaxy in hadronic interactions. PeV gamma rays are unlikely to reach us from sources outside our Galaxy due to pair production with cosmic background radiation fields. We suggest that in future with simultaneous detections of PeV gamma rays and neutrinos it would be possible to distinguish between Galactic and extragalactic origins of very high energy neutrinos.     

Understanding galactic cosmic rays

The case is made for most cosmic rays having come from galactic sources. ‘Structure’, i.e. a lack of smoothness in the energy spectrum, is apparent, strengthening the view that most cosmic rays come from discrete sources, supernova remnants being most likely.     

The mass composition of cosmic rays near 10 eV as deduced from measurements made at Volcano Ranch

Linsley used the Volcano Ranch array to collect data on the lateral distribution of showers produced by cosmic rays at energies above 10¹⁷ eV. Very precise measurements of the steepness of the lateral distribution function were made on 366 events. The current availability of sophisticated hadronic interaction models has prompted an interpretation of the measurements. In this analysis we use the Monte Carlo code to generate showers, together with to simulate the detector response to ground particles. The results show that, with the assumption of a bi-modal proton and iron mix, iron is the dominant component of cosmic rays near 10¹⁸ eV, assuming that hadronic interactions are well-described by at this energy range. The Volcano Ranch data set, as available to us, does not allow a straightforward assignment of energy for each event. It is thus not possible to give the energy dependence of the mass composition.