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At least 685 records · Page 38
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DOE OSTI2017

Cosmic-ray propagation with DRAGON2: I. numerical solver and astrophysical ingredients

We present version 2 of the DRAGON code designed for computing realistic predictions of the CR densities in the Galaxy. The code numerically solves the interstellar CR transport equation (including inhomogeneous and anisotropic diffusion, either in space and momentum, advective transport and energy losses), under realistic conditions. The new version includes an updated numerical solver and several models for the astrophysical ingredients involved in the transport equation. Improvements in the accuracy of the numerical solution are proved against analytical solutions and in reference diffusion scenarios. The novel features implemented in the code allow to simulate the diverse scenarios proposed to reproduce the most recent measurements of local and diffuse CR fluxes, going beyond the limitations of the homogeneous galactic transport paradigm. To this end, several applications using DRAGON2 are presented as well. This new version facilitates the users to include their own physical models by means of a modular C++ structure.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Antideuterons in cosmic rays: sources and discovery potential

Antibaryons are produced in our Galaxy in collisions of high energy cosmic rays with the interstellar medium and in old supernova remnants, and possibly, in exotic sources such as primordial black hole evaporation or dark matter annihilations and decays. The search for signals from exotic sources in antiproton data is hampered by large backgrounds from spallation which, within theoretical errors, can solely account for the current data. Due to the higher energy threshold for antideuteron production, which translates into a suppression of the low energy flux from spallations, antideuteron searches have been proposed as a probe for exotic sources. We perform in this paper a comprehensive analysis of the antideuteron fluxes at the Earth expected from known and hypothetical sources in our Galaxy, and we calculate their maximal values consistent with current antiproton data from AMS-02. We find that supernova remnants generate a negligible flux, whereas primordial black hole evaporation and dark matter annihilations or decays may dominate the total flux at low energies. On the other hand, we find that the (detection of cosmic antideuterons) would require, for the scenarios studied in this paper and assuming optimistic values of the coalescence momentum and solar modulation, an increase of the experimental sensitivity compared to ongoing and planned instruments by at least a factor of 2. Finally, we briefly comment on the prospects for antihelium-3 detection.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Search for photons with energies above 10 18 eV using the hybrid detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory

A search for ultra-high energy photons with energies above 1 EeV is performed using nine years of data collected by the Pierre Auger Observatory in hybrid operation mode. An unprecedented separation power between photon and hadron primaries is achieved by combining measurements of the longitudinal air-shower development with the particle content at ground measured by the fluorescence and surface detectors, respectively. Only three photon candidates at energies 1 - 2 EeV are found, which is compatible with the expected hadron-induced background. Upper limits on the integral flux of ultra-high energy photons of 0.027, 0.009, 0.008, 0.008 and 0.007 km$^{-2}$ sr$^{-1}$ yr$^{-1}$ are derived at 95% C.L. for energy thresholds of 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10 EeV. These limits bound the fractions of photons in the all-particle integral flux below 0.1%, 0.15%, 0.33%, 0.85% and 2.7%. For the first time the photon fraction at EeV energies is constrained at the sub-percent level. The improved limits are below the flux of diffuse photons predicted by some astrophysical scenarios for cosmogenic photon production. Here, the new results rule-out the early top-down models $-$ in which ultra-high energy cosmic rays are produced by, e.g., the decay of super-massive particles $-$ and challenge the most recent super-heavy dark matter models.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Combined fit of spectrum and composition data as measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory

In this paper, we present a combined fit of a simple astrophysical model of UHECR sources to both the energy spectrum and mass composition data measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory. The fit has been performed for energies above 5 • 10 18 eV, i.e. the region of the all-particle spectrum above the so-called 'ankle' feature. The astrophysical model we adopted consists of identical sources uniformly distributed in a comoving volume, where nuclei are accelerated through a rigidity-dependent mechanism. The fit results suggest sources characterized by relatively low maximum injection energies, hard spectra and heavy chemical composition. We also show that uncertainties about physical quantities relevant to UHECR propagation and shower development have a non-negligible impact on the fit results.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

CRPropa 3.1—a low energy extension based on stochastic differential equations

The propagation of charged cosmic rays through the Galactic environment influences all aspects of the observation at Earth. Energy spectrum, composition and arrival directions are changed due to deflections in magnetic fields and interactions with the interstellar medium. Today the transport is simulated with different simulation methods either based on the solution of a transport equation (multi-particle picture) or a solution of an equation of motion (single-particle picture). We developed a new module for the publicly available propagation software CRPropa 3.1, where we implemented an algorithm to solve the transport equation using stochastic differential equations. This technique allows us to use a diffusion tensor which is anisotropic with respect to an arbitrary magnetic background field. The source code of CRPropa is written in C++ with python steering via SWIG which makes it easy to use and computationally fast. In this paper, we present the new low-energy propagation code together with validation procedures that are developed to proof the accuracy of the new implementation. Furthermore, we show first examples of the cosmic ray density evolution, which depends strongly on the ratio of the parallel κ{sub ∥} and perpendicular κ{sub ⊥} diffusion coefficients. This dependency is systematically examined as well the influence of the particle rigidity on the diffusion process.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

First results of the cosmic ray NUCLEON experiment

The NUCLEON experiment was designed to study the chemical composition and energy spectra of galactic cosmic ray nuclei from protons to zinc at energies of ∼ 10{sup 11}–10{sup 15} eV per particle. The research was carried out with the NUCLEON scientific equipment installed on the Russian satellite 'Resource-P' No. 2 as an additional payload. This article presents the results for the measured nuclei spectra related to the first approximately 250 days of the scientific data collection during 2015 and 2016. The all-particle spectrum and the spectra of p, He, C, O, Ne, Mg, Si and Fe are presented. Some interesting ratios of the spectra are also presented and discussed. The experiment is now in its beginning stage and the data still have a preliminary character, but they already give numerous indications of the existence of various non-canonical phenomena in the physics of cosmic rays, which are expressed in the violation of a simple universal power law of the energy spectra. These features of the data are briefly discussed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Solar atmospheric neutrinos and the sensitivity floor for solar dark matter annihilation searches

Cosmic rays interacting in the solar atmosphere produce showers that result in a flux of high-energy neutrinos from the Sun. These form an irreducible background to indirect solar WIMP self-annihilation searches, which look for heavy dark matter particles annihilating into final states containing neutrinos in the Solar core. This background will eventually create a sensitivity floor for indirect WIMP self-annihilation searches analogous to that imposed by low-energy solar neutrino interactions for direct dark matter detection experiments. We present a new calculation of the flux of solar atmospheric neutrinos with a detailed treatment of systematic uncertainties inherent in solar atmospheric shower evolution, and we use this to derive the sensitivity floor for indirect solar WIMP annihilation analyses. We find that the floor lies less than one order of magnitude beyond the present experimental limits on spin-dependent WIMP-proton cross sections for some mass points, and that the high-energy solar atmospheric neutrino flux may be observable with running and future neutrino telescopes.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2017

The influence of the observatory latitude on the study of ultra high energy cosmic rays

Recent precision measurements of the Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECR) arrival directions, spectrum and parameters related to the mass of the primary particle have been done by the HiRes, Pierre Auger and Telescope Array (TA) Observatories. In this paper, distributions of arrival directions of events in the nearby Universe are assumed to correlate with sources in the 2MASS Redshift Survey (2MRS), IRAS 1.2 Jy Survey, Palermo Swift-BAT and Swift-BAT catalogs, and the effect of the latitude of the observatory on the measurement of the energy spectrum and on the capability of measuring anisotropy is studied. The differences between given latitudes on the northern and southern hemispheres are quantified. It is shown that the latitude of the observatory: a) has an influence on the total flux measured and b) imposes an important limitation on the capability of measuring an anisotropic sky.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

A self-consistent model of cosmic-ray fluxes and positron excess: roles of nearby pulsars and a sub-dominant source population

The cosmic-ray positron flux calculated using the cosmic-ray nuclei interactions in our Galaxy cannot explain observed data above 10 GeV. An excess in the measured positron flux is therefore open to interpretation. Nearby pulsars, located within sub-kiloparsec range of the Solar system, are often invoked as plausible sources contributing to the excess. We show that an additional, sub-dominant population of sources together with the contributions from a few nearby pulsars can explain the latest positron excess data from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS). We simultaneously model, using the DRAGON code, propagation of cosmic-ray proton, Helium, electron and positron and fit their respective flux data. Our fit to the Boron to Carbon ratio data gives a diffusion spectral index of 0.45, which is close to the Kraichnan turbulent spectrum.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

RANDOM BALLISTIC INTERPRETATION OF NONLINEAR GUIDING CENTER THEORY

Nonlinear guiding center (NLGC) theory has been used to explain the asymptotic perpendicular diffusion coefficient {kappa} of energetic charged particles in a turbulent magnetic field, which can be applied to better understand cosmic ray transport. Here we re-derive NLGC, replacing the assumption of diffusive decorrelation with random ballistic decorrelation (RBD), which yields an explicit formula for {kappa} . We note that scattering processes can cause a reversal of the guiding center motion along the field line, i.e., 'backtracking', leading to partial cancellation of contributions to {kappa}, especially for low-wavenumber components of the magnetic turbulence. We therefore include a heuristic backtracking correction (BC) that can be used in combination with RBD. In comparison with computer simulation results for various cases, NLGC with RBD and BC provides a substantially improved characterization of the perpendicular diffusion coefficient for a fluctuation amplitude less than or equal to the large-scale magnetic field.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

ANISOTROPY AS A PROBE OF THE GALACTIC COSMIC-RAY PROPAGATION AND HALO MAGNETIC FIELD

The anisotropy of cosmic rays (CRs) in the solar vicinity is generally attributed to CR streaming due to the discrete distribution of CR sources or local magnetic field modulation. Recently, the two-dimensional large-scale CR anisotropy has been measured by many experiments in the TeV-PeV energy range in both hemispheres. The tail-in excess along the tangential direction of the local spiral arm and the loss cone deficit pointing to the north Galactic pole direction agree with what have been obtained in tens to hundreds of GeV. The persistence of the two large-scale anisotropy structures in such a wide energy range suggests that the anisotropy might be due to global streaming of the Galactic CRs (GCRs). This work tries to extend the observed CR anisotropy picture from the solar system to the whole galaxy. In such a case, we can find a new interesting signature, a loop of GCR streaming, of the GCR propagation. We further calculate the overall GCR streaming induced magnetic field, and find a qualitative consistency with the observed structure of the halo magnetic field.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

INDICATIONS OF INTERMEDIATE-SCALE ANISOTROPY OF COSMIC RAYS WITH ENERGY GREATER THAN 57 EeV IN THE NORTHERN SKY MEASURED WITH THE SURFACE DETECTOR OF THE TELESCOPE ARRAY EXPERIMENT

We have searched for intermediate-scale anisotropy in the arrival directions of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays with energies above 57 EeV in the northern sky using data collected over a 5 yr period by the surface detector of the Telescope Array experiment. We report on a cluster of events that we call the hotspot, found by oversampling using 20° radius circles. The hotspot has a Li-Ma statistical significance of 5.1σ, and is centered at R.A. = 146.°7, decl. = 43.°2. The position of the hotspot is about 19° off of the supergalactic plane. The probability of a cluster of events of 5.1σ significance, appearing by chance in an isotropic cosmic-ray sky, is estimated to be 3.7 × 10{sup –4} (3.4σ)

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

INTERPRETATION OF THE DISTURBANCE IN GALACTIC COSMIC RAYS OBSERVED ON VOYAGER 1 BEYOND THE HELIOPAUSE

We present a possible explanation for the transient increase in the galactic cosmic ray flux observed by Voyager 1 (V1) beyond the heliopause, in 2013 March. We suggest that this disturbance may be caused by a propagating disturbance in the interstellar magnetic field, of heliospheric origin. A model in which a magnetic disturbance, propagating outward from the heliosphere into the very-local interstellar plasma, affects the galactic cosmic rays is presented. We also discuss the possibility that this event is related to the plasma-wave event observed some 25 days later by the PWS experiment on V1.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

SIMULATIONS AND THEORY OF ION INJECTION AT NON-RELATIVISTIC COLLISIONLESS SHOCKS

We use kinetic hybrid simulations (kinetic ions-fluid electrons) to characterize the fraction of ions that are accelerated to non-thermal energies at non-relativistic collisionless shocks. We investigate the properties of the shock discontinuity and show that shocks propagating almost along the background magnetic field (quasi-parallel shocks) reform quasi-periodically on ion cyclotron scales. Ions that impinge on the shock when the discontinuity is the steepest are specularly reflected. This is a necessary condition for being injected, but it is not sufficient. Also, by following the trajectories of reflected ions, we calculate the minimum energy needed for injection into diffusive shock acceleration, as a function of the shock inclination. We construct a minimal model that accounts for the ion reflection from quasi-periodic shock barrier, for the fraction of injected ions, and for the ion spectrum throughout the transition from thermal to non-thermal energies. This model captures the physics relevant for ion injection at non-relativistic astrophysical shocks with arbitrary strengths and magnetic inclinations, and represents a crucial ingredient for understanding the diffusive shock acceleration of cosmic rays.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

TRIANGULATION OF THE INTERSTELLAR MAGNETIC FIELD

Determining the direction of the local interstellar magnetic field (LISMF) is important for understanding the heliosphere’s global structure, the properties of the interstellar medium, and the propagation of cosmic rays in the local galactic medium. Measurements of interstellar neutral atoms by Ulysses for He and by SOHO/SWAN for H provided some of the first observational insights into the LISMF direction. Because secondary neutral H is partially deflected by the interstellar flow in the outer heliosheath and this deflection is influenced by the LISMF, the relative deflection of H versus He provides a plane—the so-called B–V plane in which the LISMF direction should lie. Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) subsequently discovered a ribbon, the center of which is conjectured to be the LISMF direction. The most recent He velocity measurements from IBEX and those from Ulysses yield a B–V plane with uncertainty limits that contain the centers of the IBEX ribbon at 0.7–2.7 keV. The possibility that Voyager 1 has moved into the outer heliosheath now suggests that Voyager 1's direct observations provide another independent determination of the LISMF. We show that LISMF direction measured by Voyager 1 is >40° off from the IBEX ribbon center and the B–V plane. Taking into account the temporal gradient of the field direction measured by Voyager 1, we extrapolate to a field direction that passes directly through the IBEX ribbon center (0.7–2.7 keV) and the B–V plane, allowing us to triangulate the LISMF direction and estimate the gradient scale size of the magnetic field.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Measuring the melting curve of iron at super-Earth core conditions

The discovery of more than 4500 extrasolar planets has created a need for modeling their interior structure and dynamics. Given the prominence of iron in planetary interiors, we require accurate and precise physical properties at extreme pressure and temperature. A first-order property of iron is its melting point, which is still debated for the conditions of Earth’s interior. Here, we used high-energy lasers at the National Ignition Facility and in situ x-ray diffraction to determine the melting point of iron up to 1000 gigapascals, three times the pressure of Earth’s inner core. We used this melting curve to determine the length of dynamo action during core solidification to the hexagonal close-packed (hcp) structure. We find that terrestrial exoplanets with four to six times Earth’s mass have the longest dynamos, which provide important shielding against cosmic radiation.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2013

Cosmic ray anisotropy in fractional differential models of anomalous diffusion

The problem of galactic cosmic ray anisotropy is considered in two versions of the fractional differential model for anomalous diffusion. The simplest problem of cosmic ray propagation from a point instantaneous source in an unbounded medium is used as an example to show that the transition from the standard diffusion model to the Lagutin-Uchaikin fractional differential model (with characteristic exponent {alpha} = 3/5 and a finite velocity of free particle motion), which gives rise to a knee in the energy spectrum at 10{sup 6} GeV, increases the anisotropy coefficient only by 20%, while the anisotropy coefficient in the Lagutin-Tyumentsev model (with exponents {alpha} = 0.3 and {beta} = 0.8, a long stay of particles in traps, and an infinite velocity of their jumps) is close to one. This is because the parameters of the Lagutin-Tyumentsev model have been chosen improperly.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2012

On the anisotropy of E{sub 0} Greater-Than-Or-Slanted-Equal-To 5.5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 19} eV cosmic rays according to data of the Pierre Auger Collaboration

The Pierre Auger Collaboration discovered, in a solid angle of radius about 18 Degree-Sign , a local group of cosmic rays having energies in the region E{sub 0} {>=} 5.5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 19} eV and coming from the region of the Gen A radio galaxy, whose galactic coordinates are l{sub G} 309.5 Degree-Sign and b{sub G} = 19.4 Degree-Sign . Near it, there is the Centaur supercluster of galaxies, its galactic coordinates being l{sub G} = 302.4 Degree-Sign and b{sub G} = 21.6 Degree-Sign . It is noteworthy that the Great Attractor, which may have a direct bearing on the observed picture, is also there.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗