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Register a new userOn the origin and composition of Galactic cosmic rays
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N. Prantzos
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The composition of Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) presents strong similarities to the standard (cosmic) composition, but also noticeable differences, the most important being the high isotopic ratio of Ne22/Ne20 which is about 5 times higher in GCR than in the Sun. This ratio provides key information on the GCR origin. We investigate the idea that GCR are accelerated by the forward shocks of supernova explosions, as they run through the presupernova winds of the massive stars and through the interstellar medium. We use detailed wind and core yields of rotating and non-rotating models of massive stars with mass loss, as well as simple models for the properties of the forward shock and of the circumstellar medium. We find that the observed GCR Ne22/Ne20 ratio can be explained if GCR are accelerated only during the early Sedov phase, for shock velocities >1500-1900 km/s. The acceleration efficiency is found to be of the order of 1.e-6 - 1.e-5, i.e. a few particles out of a million encountered by the shock escape the SN at GCR energies. We also show quantitatively that the widely publicized idea that GCR are accelerated in superbubbles fails to account for the high Ne22/Ne20 ratio in GCR
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Galactic cosmic-rays (GCRs) are thought to be accelerated in strong shocks induced by massive star winds and supernova explosions sweeping across the interstellar medium. But the phase of the interstellar medium from which the CRs are extracted has remained elusive until now. Here, we study in detail the GCR source composition deduced from recent measurements by the AMS-02, Voyager 1 and SuperTIGER experiments to obtain information on the composition, ionisation state and dust content of the GCR source reservoirs. We show that the volatile elements of the CR material are mainly accelerated from a plasma of temperature higher than $sim 2$ MK, which is typical of the hot medium found in galactic superbubbles energised by the activity of massive star winds and supernova explosions. Another GCR component, which is responsible for the overabundance of $^{22}$Ne, most likely arises from acceleration of massive star winds in their termination shocks. From the CR-related $gamma$-ray luminosity of the Milky Way, we estimate that the ion acceleration efficiency in both supernova shocks and wind termination shocks is of the order of $10^{-5}$. The GCR source composition also shows evidence for a preferential acceleration of refractory elements contained in interstellar dust. We suggest that the GCR refractories are also produced in superbubbles, from shock acceleration and subsequent sputtering of dust grains continuously incorporated into the hot plasma through thermal evaporation of embedded molecular clouds. Our model explains well the measured abundances of all primary and mostly primary CRs from H to Zr, including the overabundance of $^{22}$Ne.
The origin of the bulk of cosmic rays (CRs) observed at Earth is the topic of a century long investigation, paved with successes and failures. From the energetic point of view, supernova remnants (SNRs) remain the most plausible sources of CRs up to rigidity ? 10^6-10^7 GV. This confidence somehow resulted in the construction of a paradigm, the so-called SNR paradigm: CRs are accelerated through diffusive shock acceleration in SNRs and propagate diffusively in the Galaxy in an energy dependent way. Qualitative confirmation of the SNR acceleration scenario has recently been provided by gamma ray and X-ray observations. Diffusive propagation in the Galaxy is probed observationally through measurement of the secondary to primary nuclei flux ratios (such as B/C). There are however some weak points in the paradigm, which suggest that we are probably missing some physical ingredients in our models. The theory of diffusive shock acceleration at SNR shocks predicts spectra of accelerated particles which are systematically too hard compared with the ones inferred from gamma ray observations. Moreover, hard injection spectra indirectly imply a steep energy dependence of the diffusion coefficient in the Galaxy, which in turn leads to anisotropy larger than the observed one. Moreover recent measurements of the flux of nuclei suggest that the spectra have a break at rigidity ? 200 GV, which does not sit well with the common wisdom in acceleration and propagation. In this paper I will review these new developments and suggest some possible implications.
It is shown that the relativistic jet, emitted from the center of the Galaxy during its activity, possessed power and energy spectrum of accelerated protons sufficient to explain the current cosmic rays distribution in the Galaxy. Proton acceleration takes place on the light cylinder surface formed by the rotation of a massive black hole carring into rotation the radial magnetic field and the magnetosphere. Observed in gamma, x-ray and radio bands bubbles above and below the galactic plane can be remnants of this bipolar get. The size of the bubble defines the time of the jets start, $simeq 2.4cdot 10^7$ years ago. The jet worked more than $10^7$ years, but less than $2.4cdot10^7$ years.
The origin and properties of the cosmic radiation are one of the most intriguing question in modern astrophysics. The precise measurement of the chemical composition and energy spectra of the cosmic rays provides fundamental insight into these subjects. In this paper we will review the existing experimental data. Specifically, we will analyse results collected by space-born experiments discussing the experimental uncertainties and challenges with a focus on the PAMELA experiment.
We analyze the results of recent measurements of Galactic cosmic ray (GCRs) energy spectra and the spectra of nonthermal emission from supernova remnants (SNRs) in order to determine their consistency with GCR origin in SNRs. It is shown that the measured primary and secondary CR nuclei energy spectra as well as the observed positron-to-electron ratio are consistent with the origin of GCRs up to the energy 10^17 eV in SNRs. Existing SNR emission data provide evidences for efficient CR production in SNRs accompanied by significant magnetic field amplification. In some cases the nature of the detected gamma-ray emission is difficult to determine because key SNR parameters are not known or poorly constrained.
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