Cosmic-ray positrons: are there primary sources?

Galactic cosmic rays consist of primary and secondary particles. Primary cosmic rays are thought to be energized by first order Fermi acceleration processes at supernova shock fronts within our Galaxy. The cosmic rays that eventually reach the Earth from this source are mainly protons and atomic nuclei, but also include electrons. Secondary cosmic rays are created in collisions of primary particles with the diffuse interstellar gas. They are relatively rare but carry important information on the Galactic propagation of the primary particles. The secondary component includes a small fraction of antimatter particles, positrons and antiprotons. In addition, positrons and antiprotons may also come from unusual sources and possibly provide insight into new physics. For instance, the annihilation of heavy supersymmetric dark matter particles within the Galactic halo could lead to positrons or antiprotons with distinctive energy signatures. With the High-Energy Antimatter Telescope (HEAT) balloon-borne instrument, we have measured the abundances of positrons and electrons at energies between 1 and 50 GeV. The data suggest that indeed a small additional antimatter component may be present that cannot be explained by a purely secondary production mechanism. Here we describe the signature of the effect and discuss its possible origin.     

UVolution, a photochemistry experiment in low earth orbit: Investigation of the photostability of carbonates exposed to martian-like UV radiation conditions

The detection and identification of carbonates on Mars are of prime importance to establish the evolution of its atmosphere, correlated to the history of the liquid water, or even to determine the existence of a possible ancient biological activity. Till date, no large deposits of carbonates have been found. In fact, their detection is specific to local areas and in very low amounts. The absence of such deposits is commonly attributed to the harsh environmental conditions at the surface of Mars. Additionally, the presence of UV radiation has been proposed to explain their photodecomposition and hence their absence. However, contradictory results from laboratory experiments mimicking Mars’ surface UV radiation did not resolve the behaviour of carbonates in such an environment, which is why we exposed, in low Earth orbit and in laboratory experiments, both abiotic and biotic calcium carbonates to UV radiation of wavelength above 200 nm, the same spectral distribution as the one reaching the surface of Mars. For low Earth orbit (LEO) exposure, this was done for the UVolution experiment on board the BIOPAN ESA module, which was set outside a Russian Foton automated capsule, and exposed to space conditions for 12 days in September 2007. The targeted carbonates are biominerals and abiotic samples. Our laboratory results mainly show that the exposed carbonates appear to be stable to UV radiation if directly exposed to it. The LEO experiment results tend to the same conclusion, but the integrated exposition time to Solar UV during the experiment is not sufficient to be conclusive. However, the stability of the biominerals derived from the laboratory experiment could strengthen the interest to explore deeper their potential as life records at Mars. Hence, they should be considered as primary targets for in situ analyses during future missions.     

Correction to: Using Causal Inference in Field Development Optimization: Application to Unconventional Plays

Mathematical Geosciences - Unfortunately, in the original version of the article the first and second name of the fourth author were wrong.     

Using Causal Inference in Field Development Optimization: Application to Unconventional Plays

Mathematical Geosciences - In the current era of big data and machine learning, a strong focus exists on prediction and classification. In industrial applications, however, many important questions...