Spiral arms as cosmic ray source distributions

The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy with (or without) a bar-like central structure. There is evidence that the distribution of suspected cosmic ray sources, such as supernova remnants, are associated with the spiral arm structure of galaxies. It is yet not clearly understood what effect such a cosmic ray source distribution has on the particle transport in our Galaxy. We investigate and measure how the propagation of Galactic cosmic rays is affected by a cosmic ray source distribution associated with spiral arm structures.We use the PICARD code to perform high-resolution 3D simulations of electrons and protons in galactic propagation scenarios that include four-arm and two-arm logarithmic spiral cosmic ray source distributions with and without a central bar structure as well as the spiral arm configuration of the NE2001 model for the distribution of free electrons in the Milky Way. Results of these simulation are compared to an axisymmetric radial source distribution. Also, effects on the cosmic ray flux and spectra due to different positions of the Earth relative to the spiral structure are studied.We find that high energy electrons are strongly confined to their sources and the obtained spectra largely depend on the Earth’s position relative to the spiral arms. Similar finding have been obtained for low energy protons and electrons albeit at smaller magnitude. We find that even fractional contributions of a spiral arm component to the total cosmic ray source distribution influences the spectra on the Earth. This is apparent when compared to an axisymmetric radial source distribution as well as with respect to the Earth’s position relative to the spiral arm structure. We demonstrate that the presence of a Galactic bar manifests itself as an overall excess of low energy electrons at the Earth.Using a spiral arm geometry as a cosmic ray source distributions offers a genuine new quality of modeling and is used to explain features in cosmic ray spectra at the Earth that are else-wise attributed to other propagation effects. We show that realistic cosmic ray propagation scenarios have to acknowledge non-axisymmetric source distributions.     

Simulation Study on High Energy Cosmic Electron Detection by Shower Image

Many projects have recently been carried out and proposed for observing high energy electrons since it is realized that cosmic ray electrons are very important when study-ing the dark matter particles and the acceleration mechanism of cosmic rays. An imaging calorimeter,BETS (Balloon-borne Electron Telescope with Scintillator fiber),has been de-veloped for this purpose. Using pattern analysis of the shower development,the electrons can be selected from those primary cosmic ray proton events with flux heights one-tenth that of the electrons. The Monte-Carlo simulation is indispensable for the instrument design,the sig-nal trigger and the data analysis. We present different shower simulation codes and compare the simulation results with the beam test and the flight data of BETS. We conclude that the code FLUKA2002 gives the most consistent results with the experimental data.     

The size of antimatter bodies and the primary very high energy cosmic ray flux

The consequences of antimatter bodies on the very high energy primary cosmic ray flux are considered. The effects of various models of cosmic ray origin and properties of astrophysical parameters are discussed. A simple expression for the production of antiprotons inN–N collisions as a function of energy of the incident proton is obtained by utilizing characteristics of particles produced in high energy collisions. It is assumed that sufficient time will have elapsed for all antibaryons to decay to antiprotons. It is shown that the measurement of antinuclei in the primary cosmic ray spectrum above 10¹⁷ eV could help to establish the size of antimatter bodies.This research was supported by A.F.O.S.R. Grant No. F-44620-69-C-0019.     

The nature of cosmic ray sources

The limitations on the nature of cosmic ray acceleration regions and processes, as deduced from cosmic ray measurements and propagation studies, are reviewed. The power requirements for these acceleration regions are estimated from measurements of the local cosmic ray energy density, anisotropy and spallation-deduced pathlength. Possible constraints on the acceleration spectrum of the cosmic rays and on a charge dependence of the acceleration process, implied by the measured cosmic ray spectrum and composition, are considered. Various suggested sources and processes of cosmic ray acceleration are discussed in the light of these limitations.Astrophysics and Space Science Review Paper.     

Heavy quark production in ultra high energy cosmic ray interactions

In this paper we present a comprehensive study of the heavy quark production in ultra high energy cosmic ray interactions in the atmosphere considering that the primary cosmic ray can be either a photon, neutrino or a proton. The analysis is performed using a unified framework – the dipole formalism – and the saturation effects, associated to the physical process of parton recombination, are taken into account. We demonstrate that the contribution of heavy quarks for cosmic ray interactions is in general non-negligible and can be dominant depending of the process considered. Moreover, our results indicate that new dynamical mechanisms should be included in order to obtain reliable predictions for the heavy quark production in pp collisions at ultra high cosmic ray energies.     

A machine learning method to separate cosmic ray electrons from protons from 10 to 100 GeV using DAMPE data

DArk Matter Particle Explorer(DAMPE) is a general purpose high energy cosmic ray and gamma ray observatory, aiming to detect high energy electrons and gammas in the energy range 5 Ge V to 10 Te V and hundreds of Te V for nuclei. This paper provides a method using machine learning to identify electrons and separate them from gammas, protons, helium and heavy nuclei with the DAMPE data acquired from 2016 January 1 to 2017 June 30, in the energy range from 10 to 100 Ge V.     

Spatial distribution of high energy cosmic ray electrons perpendicular to the galactic plane

With the help of empirical data concerning the latitudinal distribution of galactic gamma rays the contribution of inverse Compton scattered gamma rays is calculated using various models concerning the distribution of high energy cosmic ray electrons perpendicular to the galactic plane. It is shown that gamma ray astronomy from regions with vanishing stellar and interstellar matter densities at energies greater than 100 MeV provides instructive information on the cosmic ray electron density. We find evidence for the existence of a broad galactic electron disk with a total thickness of at least 6.4 kpc. The uncertainties of the cosmic ray electron spectrum measurements above 100 GeV imply an additional uncertainty in the inverse Compton source function of at least a factor 6.     

Cosmic Rays and Clusters of Galaxies

The presence of a significant population of relic relativistic electrons - created at an early epoch of the Universe - has been invoked to explain the diffuse EUV emission excess observed in a number of galaxy clusters. While the postulated inverse Compton scattering of the 3° K background radiation by cosmic ray electrons might indeed be utilized as an important diagnostic tool for the physical nature of the intracluster cosmic rays, it is shown here that continuous generation plus reacceleration would be necessary if the conditions on the observed energy spectral distribution and energy supply rate are to be met in the case of clusters with large radio halos. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Are gamma-ray bursts the sources of ultra-high energy cosmic rays?

We reconsider the possibility that gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the sources of the ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) within the internal shock model, assuming a pure proton composition of the UHECRs. For the first time, we combine the information from gamma-rays, cosmic rays, prompt neutrinos, and cosmogenic neutrinos quantitatively in a joint cosmic ray production and propagation model, and we show that the information on the cosmic energy budget can be obtained as a consequence. In addition to the neutron model, we consider alternative scenarios for the cosmic ray escape from the GRBs, i.e., that cosmic rays can leak from the sources. We find that the dip model, which describes the ankle in UHECR observations by the pair production dip, is strongly disfavored in combination with the internal shock model because (a) unrealistically high baryonic loadings (energy in protons versus energy in electrons/gamma-rays) are needed for the individual GRBs and (b) the prompt neutrino flux easily overshoots the corresponding neutrino bound. On the other hand, GRBs may account for the UHECRs in the ankle transition model if cosmic rays leak out from the source at the highest energies. In that case, we demonstrate that future neutrino observations can efficiently test most of the parameter space – unless the baryonic loading is much larger than previously anticipated.     

Gamma ray signatures of ultra high energy cosmic ray accelerators: electromagnetic cascade versus synchrotron radiation of secondary electrons

We discuss the possibility of observing ultra high energy cosmic ray sources in high energy gamma rays. Protons propagating away from their accelerators produce secondary electrons during interactions with cosmic microwave background photons. These electrons start an electromagnetic cascade that results in a broad band gamma ray emission. We show that in a magnetized Universe (B≳10⁻¹² G) such emission is likely to be too extended to be detected above the diffuse background. A more promising possibility comes from the detection of synchrotron photons from the extremely energetic secondary electrons. Although this emission is produced in a rather extended region of size ∼10 Mpc, it is expected to be point-like and detectable at GeV energies if the intergalactic magnetic field is at the nanogauss level.      

The energy spectrum of primary cosmic ray electrons from 2 GeV to 200 GeV

A balloon borne counter telescope with a gas Cerenkov counter is used to measure the energy of primary cosmic ray electrons between 2 and 200 GeV. Electrons are identified by the characteristic electron-photon shower which they produce in a 15 radiation length deep stack of high-Z material interleaved with scintillation counters. Calibrations with monoenergetic electrons up to 14 GeV and monoenergetic protons up to 28 GeV from accelerators are used to develop criteria to statistically separate electrons from proton induced events. The results from six balloon flights (total exposure time 63 hours) are combined to obtain the electron energy spectrum. Up to about 30 GeV the spectrum measured in this experiment can be directly checked with calibrations and agrees well with results from other experiments. Above this energy the flux reported here is somewhat higher than the determinations reported by most other authors. We do not attach significance to an apparent flattening of the energy spectrum above 50 GeV. There is no evidence for a steepening of the spectrum at energies below 200 GeV.Work supported in part by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration grant NGL 14-001-005.Also Department of Physics.NSF trainee (1965–1969).     

On possible 'cosmic ray cocoons' of relativistic jets

We consider effects on an (ultra)relativistic jet and its ambient medium caused by high-energy cosmic rays accelerated at the jet side boundary. As illustrated by simple models, during the acceleration process a flat cosmic ray distribution can be created, with gyro-radii for the highest particle energies reaching scales comparable to the jet radius or energy density comparable to the pressure of the ambient medium . In the case of efficient radiative losses, a high-energy bump in the spectrum can dominate the cosmic ray pressure. In extreme cases, the cosmic rays are able to push the ambient medium off, providing a 'cosmic ray cocoon' separating the jet from the surrounding medium. The considered cosmic rays provide an additional jet braking force and lead to a number of consequences for the jet structure and its radiative output. In particular, the dynamic and acceleration time-scales involved are in the range observed in variable active galactic nuclei.     

Calibration of the Cherenkov telescope array using cosmic ray electrons

Cosmic ray electrons represent a background for gamma-ray observations with Cherenkov telescopes, initiating air-showers which are difficult to distinguish from photon-initiated showers. This similarity, however, and the presence of cosmic ray electrons in every field observed, makes them potentially very useful for calibration purposes. Here we study the precision with which the relative energy scale and collection area/efficiency for photons can be established using electrons for a major next generation instrument such as CTA. We find that variations in collection efficiency on hour timescales can be corrected to better than 1%. Furthermore, the break in the electron spectrum at ∼ 0.9 TeV can be used to calibrate the energy scale at the 3% level on the same timescale. For observations on the order of hours, statistical errors become negligible below a few TeV and allow for an energy scale cross-check with instruments such as CALET and AMS. Cosmic ray electrons therefore provide a powerful calibration tool, either as an alternative to intensive atmospheric monitoring and modelling efforts, or for independent verification of such procedures.     

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.     

Statistical acceleration and spatial diffusion of cosmic rays in turbulent medium

Statistical acceleration of cosmic rays in a turbulent medium is considered. Charged particles are assumed to acquire energy in a bounded region of space and leave the acceleration region due to spatial diffusion caused by the scattering of cosmic rays in turbulent magnetic fields. Analytical solutions of the cosmic ray transport equation are obtained and equilibrium space-energy distributions of high-energy particles are studied in the acceleration region and beyond.     

On the generation of high-energy particles in solar flares

This paper discusses the relationship between some characteristics of microwave type IV radio bursts and solar cosmic ray protons of MeV energy. It is shown that the peak flux intensity of those bursts is almost linearly correlated with the MeV proton peak flux observed by satellites near the Earth and that protons and electrons would be accelerated simultaneously by a similar mechanism during the explosive phase of solar flares.Brief discussion is given on the propagation of solar cosmic rays in the solar envelope after ejection from the flare regions.     

Lyman-α production by suprathermal protons

At sufficiently low energies, cosmic ray protons capture electrons from interstellar Hi and become neutral. In the subsequent cascade to the ground state a Doppler-shifted Ly- photon may be emitted. The neutral cosmic ray will be excited collisionally by further encounters with the ambient interstellar gas, emitting additional Doppler-shifted Ly- photons. We give the form of the cosmic ray spectrum down to 10 keV, assuming that there is no cosmic ray injection below 1 MeV. The neutral fraction is evaluated as a function of energy, and the diffuse ultraviolet flux is calculated. Comparison is made with observations in the range 1225–1340 Å. We conclude that far more stringent limits on the flux of subcosmic rays may be obtained by consideration of the heating and ionization of Hi regions.     

Non-linear amplification of a magnetic field driven by cosmic ray streaming

One-, two- and three-dimensional numerical results of the non-linear interaction between cosmic rays and a magnetic field are presented. These show that cosmic ray streaming drives large-amplitude Alfvénic waves. The cosmic ray streaming energy is very efficiently transferred to the perturbed magnetic field of the Alfvén waves, and the non-linear time-scale of the growth of the waves is found to be very rapid, of the order of the gyro-period of the cosmic ray. Thus, a magnetic field of interstellar values, assumed in models of supernova remnant blast wave acceleration, would not be appropriate in the region of the shock. The increased magnetic field reduces the cosmic ray acceleration time and so increases the maximum cosmic ray energy, which may provide a simple and elegant resolution to the highest energy Galactic cosmic ray problem, where the cosmic rays themselves provide the fields necessary for their acceleration.     

Gamma-ray emitting supernova remnants as the origin of Galactic cosmic rays?

The origin of cosmic rays is one of the long-standing mysteries in physics and astrophysics. Simple arguments suggest that a scenario of supernova remnants (SNRs) in the Milky Way as the dominant sources for the cosmic ray population below the knee could work: a generic calculation indicates that these objects can provide the energy budget necessary to explain the observed flux of cosmic rays. However, this argument is based on the assumption that all sources behave in the same way, i.e. they all have the same energy budget, spectral behavior and maximum energy. In this paper, we investigate if a realistic population of SNRs is capable of producing the cosmic ray flux as it is observed below the knee. We use 21 SNRs that are well-studied from radio wavelengths up to gamma-ray energies and derive cosmic ray spectra under the assumption of hadronic emission. The cosmic ray spectra show a large variety in their energy budget, spectral behavior and maximum energy. These sources are assumed to be representative for the total class of SNRs, where we assume that about 100–200 cosmic ray emitting SNRs should be present today. Finally, we use these source spectra to simulate the cosmic ray transport from individual SNRs in the Galaxy with the GALPROP code for cosmic ray propagation. We find that the cosmic ray budget can be matched well for these sources. We conclude that gamma-ray emitting SNRs can be a representative sample of cosmic ray emitting sources. In the future, experiments like CTA and HAWC will help to distinguish hadronic from leptonic sources and to further constrain the maximum energy of the sources and contribute to producing a fully representative sample in order to further investigate the possibility of SNRs being the dominant sources of cosmic rays up to the knee.     

Analytic calculations of the spectra of ultra high energy cosmic ray nuclei. II. The general case of background radiation

We discuss the problem of ultra high energy nuclei propagation in extragalactic background radiations. The present paper is the continuation of the accompanying paper I where we have presented three new analytic methods to calculate the fluxes and spectra of ultra high energy cosmic ray nuclei, both primary and secondary, and secondary protons. The computation scheme in this paper is based on the analytic solution of coupled kinetic equations, which takes into account the continuous energy losses due to the expansion of the universe and pair-production, together with photo-disintegration of nuclei. This method includes in the most natural way the production of secondary nuclei in the process of photo-disintegration of the primary nuclei during their propagation through extragalactic background radiations. In paper I, in order to present the suggested analytical schemes of calculations, we have considered only the case of the cosmic microwave background radiation, in the present paper we generalize this computation to all relevant background radiations, including infra-red and visible/ultra-violet radiations, collectively referred to as extragalactic background light. The analytic solutions allow transparent physical interpretation of the obtained spectra. Extragalactic background light plays an important role at intermediate energies of ultra high energy cosmic ray nuclei. The most noticeable effect of the extragalactic background light is the low-energy tail in the spectrum of secondary nuclei.