This article reviews a few topics relevant to Galactic cosmic-ray astrophysics, focusing on the recent AMS-02 data release and Fermi Large Area Telescope data on the diffuse Galactic gamma-ray emissivity. Calculations are made of the diffuse cosmic-r
ay induced p+p --> pi^0 --> 2 gamma spectra, normalized to the AMS-02 cosmic-ray proton spectrum at ~ 10 - 100 GV, with and without a hardening in the cosmic-ray proton spectrum at rigidities R >~ 300 GV. A single power-law momentum shock spectrum for the local interstellar medium cosmic-ray proton spectrum cannot be ruled out from the gamma-ray emissivity data alone without considering the additional contribution of electron bremsstrahlung. Metallicity corrections are discussed, and a maximal range of nuclear enhancement factors from 1.52 to 1.92 is estimated.Origins of the 300 GV cosmic-ray proton and alpha-particle hardening are discussed.
Fermi-LAT analyses show that the gamma-ray photon spectral indices Gamma_gamma of a large sample of blazars correlate with the vFv peak synchrotron frequency v_s according to the relation Gamma_gamma = d - k log v_s. The same function, with different
constants d and k, also describes the relationship between Gamma_gamma and peak Compton frequency v_C. This behavior is derived analytically using an equipartition blazar model with a log-parabola description of the electron energy distribution (EED). In the Thomson regime, k = k_EC = 3b/4 for external Compton processes and k = k_SSC = 9b/16 for synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) processes, where b is the log-parabola width parameter of the EED. The BL Lac object Mrk 501 is fit with a synchrotron/SSC model given by the log-parabola EED, and is best fit away from equipartition. Corrections are made to the spectral-index diagrams for a low-energy power-law EED and departures from equipartition, as constrained by absolute jet power. Analytic expressions are compared with numerical values derived from self-Compton and external Compton scattered gamma-ray spectra from Ly alpha broad-line region and IR target photons. The Gamma_gamma vs. v_s behavior in the model depends strongly on b, with progressively and predictably weaker dependences on gamma-ray detection range, variability time, and isotropic gamma-ray luminosity. Implications for blazar unification and blazars as ultra-high energy cosmic-ray sources are presented. Arguments by Ghisellini et al. (2014) that the jet power exceeds the accretion luminosity depend on the doubtful assumption that we are viewing at the Doppler angle.
The IceCube collaboration has reported neutrinos with energies between ~30 TeV and a few PeV that are significantly enhanced over the cosmic-ray induced atmospheric background. Viable high-energy neutrino sources must contain very high-energy and ult
ra-high energy cosmic rays while efficiently making PeV neutrinos. Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) and blazars have been considered as candidate cosmic-ray accelerators. GRBs, including low-luminosity GRBs, can be efficient PeV neutrino emitters for low bulk Lorentz factor outflows, although the photopion production efficiency needs to be tuned to simultaneously explain ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. Photopion production efficiency of cosmic-rays accelerated in the inner jets of flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) is ~1-10% due to interactions with photons of the broad-line region (BLR), whereas BL Lac objects are not effective PeV neutrino sources due to the lack of external radiation fields. Photopion threshold effects with BLR photons suppress neutrino production below ~1 PeV, which imply that neutrinos from other sources would dominate over the diffuse neutrino intensity at sub-PeV energies. Reduction of the >> PeV neutrino flux can be expected when curving cosmic-ray proton distributions are employed. Considering a log-parabolic function to describe the cosmic-ray distribution, we discuss possible implications for particle acceleration in black-hole jets. Our results encourage a search for IceCube PeV neutrino events associated with gamma-ray loud FSRQs using Fermi-LAT data. In our model, as found in our previous work, the neutrino flux is suppressed below 1 PeV, which can be tested with increased IceCube exposure.
More than 90% of the Galactic gas-related gamma-ray emissivity above 1 GeV is attributed to the decay of neutral pions formed in collisions between cosmic rays and interstellar matter, with lepton-induced processes becoming increasingly important bel
ow 1 GeV. Given the high-quality measurements of the gamma-ray emissivity of local interstellar gas between ~50 MeV and ~4 GeV obtained with the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi space observatory, it is timely to re-investigate this topic in detail, including the hadronic production mechanisms. The emissivity spectrum will allow the interstellar cosmic-ray spectrum to be determined reliably, providing a reference for origin and propagation studies as well as input to solar modulation models. A method for such an analysis and illustrative results are presented.
Blazar spectral models generally have numerous unconstrained parameters, leading to ambiguous values for physical properties like Doppler factor delta or fluid magnetic field B. To help remedy this problem, a few modifications of the standard leptoni
c blazar jet scenario are considered. First, a log-parabola function for the electron distribution is used. Second, analytic expressions relating energy loss and kinematics to blazar luminosity and variability, written in terms of equipartition parameters, imply delta, B, and the principal electron Lorentz factor gamma_pk. The external radiation field in a blazar is approximated by Ly alpha radiation from the broad line region (BLR) and ~0.1 eV infrared radiation from a dusty torus. When used to model 3C 279 SEDs from 2008 and 2009 reported by Hayashida et al. (2012), we derive delta ~ 20-30, B ~ few G, and total (IR + BLR) external radiation field energy densities u ~ 0.01 - 0.001 erg/cm^3, implying an origin of the gamma-ray emission site in 3C 279 at the outer edges of the BLR. This is consistent with the gamma-ray emission site being located at a distance R <~ Gamma^2 c t_{var} ~ 0.1 (Gamma/30)^2 (t_{var}/10^4 s) pc from the black hole powering 3C 279s jets, where t_{var} is the variability time scale of the radiation in the source frame, and at farther distances for narrow-jet and magnetic_reconnection models. Excess >~ 5 GeV gamma-ray emission observed with Fermi LAT from 3C 279 challenge the model, opening the possibility of hadronic origins of the emission. For low hadronic content, absolute jet powers of ~10% of the Eddington luminosity are calculated.
Secondary nuclear production physics is receiving increased attention given the high-quality measurements of the gamma-ray emissivity of local interstellar gas between ~50 MeV and ~40 GeV, obtained with the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi spa
ce observatory. More than 90% of the gas-related emissivity above 1 GeV is attributed to gamma-rays from the decay of neutral pions formed in collisions between cosmic rays and interstellar matter, with lepton-induced processes becoming increasingly important below 1 GeV. The elementary kinematics of neutral pion production and decay are re-examined in light of two physics questions: does isobaric production follow a scaling behavior? and what is the minimum proton kinetic energy needed to make a gamma-ray of a certain energy formed through intermediate pi0 production? The emissivity spectrum will allow the interstellar cosmic-ray spectrum to be determined reliably, providing a reference for origin and propagation studies as well as input to solar modulation models. A method for such an analysis and illustrative results are presented.
Context: Cosmic rays are thought to be accelerated at supernova remnant (SNR) shocks, but conclusive evidence is lacking. Aims: New data from ground-based gamma-ray telescopes and the Large Area Telescope on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope are us
ed to test this hypothesis. A simple model for gamma-ray production efficiency is compared with measured gamma-ray luminosities of SNRs, and the GeV to TeV fluxes ratios of SNRs are examined for correlations with SNR ages. Methods: The supernova explosion is modeled as an expanding spherical shell of material that sweeps up matter from the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM). The accumulated kinetic energy of the shell, which provides the energy available for nonthermal particle acceleration, changes when matter is swept up from the ISM and the SNR shell decelerates. A fraction of this energy is assumed to be converted into the energy of cosmic-ray electrons or protons. Three different particle radiation processes---nuclear pion-production interactions, nonthermal electron bremsstrahlung, and Compton scattering---are considered. Results: The efficiencies for gamma-ray production by these three processes are compared with gamma-ray luminosities of SNRs. Our results suggest that SNRs become less gamma-ray luminous at >~ 10^4 yr, and are consistent with the hypothesis that supernova remnants accelerate cosmic rays with an efficiency of ~10% for the dissipation of kinetic energy into nonthermal cosmic rays. Weak evidence for an increasing GeV to TeV flux ratio with SNR age is found.
Some questions raised by Fermi-LAT data about blazars are summarized, along with attempts at solutions within the context of leptonic models. These include both spectral and statistical questions, including the origin of the GeV breaks in low-synchro
tron peaked blazars, the location of the gamma-ray emission sites, the correlations in the spectral energy distributions with luminosity, and the difficulty of synchrotron/SSC models to fit the spectra of some TeV blazars.
Recent claims that the strength B_IGMF of the intergalactic magnetic field (IGMF) is >~ 1e-15 G are based on upper limits to the expected cascade flux in the GeV band produced by blazar TeV photons absorbed by the extragalactic background light. This
limit depends on an assumption that the mean blazar TeV flux remains constant on timescales >~2 (B_ IGMF/1e-18 G)^2 / (E/{10 GeV})^2 yr for an IGMF coherence length ~ 1 Mpc, where E is the measured photon energy. Restricting TeV activity of 1ES 0229+200 to ~3 -- 4 years during which the source has been observed leads to a more robust lower limit of B_IGMF >~ 1e-18 G, which can be larger by an order of magnitude if the intrinsic source flux above ~5 -- 10 TeV from 1ES 0229+200 is strong.
The Auger Collaboration reports that the arrival directions of >60 EeV ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) cluster along the supergalactic plane and correlate with active galactic nuclei (AGN) within ~100 Mpc. The association of several events wit
h the nearby radio galaxy Centaurus A supports the paradigm that UHECRs are powered by supermassive black-hole engines and accelerated to ultra-high energies in the shocks formed by variable plasma winds in the inner jets of radio galaxies. The GZK horizon length of 75 EeV UHECR protons is ~100 Mpc, so that the Auger results are consistent with an assumed proton composition of the UHECRs. In this scenario, the sources of UHECRs are FR II radio galaxies and FR I galaxies like Cen A with scattered radiation fields that enhance UHECR neutral-beam production. Radio galaxies with jets pointed away from us can still be observed as UHECR sources due to deflection of UHECRs by magnetic fields in the radio lobes of these galaxies. A broadband ~1 MeV -- 10 EeV radiation component in the spectra of blazar AGN is formed by UHECR-induced cascade radiation in the extragalactic background light (EBL). This emission is too faint to be seen from Cen A, but could be detected from more luminous blazars.
