Cosmic Ray Electrons and Protons,and Their Antiparticles

Cosmic rays are a sample of solar, galactic, and extragalactic matter. Their origin, acceleration mechanisms, and subsequent propagation toward Earth have intrigued scientists since their discovery. These issues can be studied via analysis of the energy spectra and composition of cosmic rays. Protons are the most abundant component of the cosmic radiation, and many experiments have been dedicated to the accurate measurement of their spectra. Complementary information is provided by electrons, which comprise about 1 % of the cosmic radiation. Because of their low mass, electrons experience severe energy losses through synchrotron emission in the galactic magnetic field and inverse Compton scattering of radiation fields. Electrons therefore provide information on the local galactic environment that is not accessible from the study of the cosmic ray nuclei. Antiparticles, namely antiprotons and positrons, are produced in the interaction between cosmic ray nuclei and the interstellar matter. They are therefore intimately linked to the propagation mechanisms of the parent nuclei. Novel sources of primary cosmic ray antiparticles of either astrophysical (e.g., positrons from pulsars) or exotic origin (e.g., annihilation of dark matter particles) may exist. The nature of dark matter is one of the most prominent open questions in science today. An observation of positrons from pulsars would open a new observation window on these sources. Several experiments equipped with state-of-the art detector systems have recently presented results on the energy spectra of electrons, protons, and their antiparticles with a significant improvement in statistics and better control of systematics. The status of the field will be reviewed, with a focus on these recent scientific results.     

Observation of synchrotron radiation from electrons accelerated in a petawatt-laser-generated plasma cavity

The dynamics of plasma electrons in the focus of a petawatt laser beam are studied via measurements of their x-ray synchrotron radiation. With increasing laser intensity, a forward directed beam of x rays extending to 50 keV is observed. The measured x rays are well described in the synchrotron asymptotic limit of electrons oscillating in a plasma channel. The critical energy of the measured synchrotron spectrum is found to scale as the Maxwellian temperature of the simultaneously measured electron spectra. At low laser intensity transverse oscillations are negligible as the electrons are predominantly accelerated axially by the laser generated wakefield. At high laser intensity, electrons are directly accelerated by the laser and enter a highly radiative regime with up to 5% of their energy converted into x rays.     

On the composition of cosmic rays with E 0 ≥ 1017 eV according to the Yakutsk EAS array data

The energy spectrum and anisotropy of primary cosmic rays, as well as the lateral distribution functions of electrons and muons in extensive air showers (EASs) with E ₀ ≥ 10¹⁷ eV, are presented according to the Yakutsk EAS array data. It has been shown that the spectrum and lateral distribution functions in some energy ranges have different shapes for the particles that arrive from the disc of the Supergalaxy (Local Supercluster of galaxies) and from the other part of the celestial sphere. This is interpreted as the manifestation of the interaction of extragalactic primary cosmic rays with the gas of the Supergalaxy that possibly leads to the production of new ultra-high-energy particles.     

Criteria for selecting electrons with energies above 50 GeV according to the PAMELA experiment data

To separate the particles such as electrons and positrons, which are insignificant in number, from the total particle flux of cosmic rays, reliable enough criteria of their selection should be found. The proposed selection technique based on such criteria as the interaction in the first calorimeter layers, difference in the energy release for protons and electrons, and the measured number of neutrons makes it possible to separate electrons from the total charged particle flux with an impurity fraction no larger than 2% of the electron flux.     

Analysis of the calibration results obtained with Liulin-4J spectrometer-dosimeter on protons and heavy ions

We are developing a portable dosimeter (Liulin-4J) based on a silicon semiconductor detector for use in measuring the absorbed dose from primary or secondary cosmic rays to astronauts and airplane crews. The dosimeter can measure not only the flux and dose rate, but also the deposited energy spectrum for silicon in per unit time. In order to calibrate the dosimeter, we have carried out exposures at the NIRS cyclotron and HIMAC heavy ion synchrotron facilities. We obtained a detector response function for using in measuring energy deposition and LET.     

超高能宇宙线的研究

本文分四个部分讨论了超高能宇宙线的现象:(1)超高能宇宙线的一些特性:原初宇宙线的能谱和成份。(2)超高能宇宙线与核的相互作用。(3)广延大气簇射的一些实验结果。(4)稀有现象。文章还评述了超高能宇宙线的几点倾向性结论。     

Capabilities of the Gamma-400 Gamma-ray Telescope for Observation of Electrons and Positrons in the TeV Energy Range

The space-based GAMMA-400 gamma-ray telescope will measure the fluxes of gamma rays in the energy range from ∼20 MeV to several TeV and cosmic-ray electrons and positrons in the energy range from several GeV to several TeV to investigate the origin of gamma-ray sources, sources and propagation of the Galactic cosmic rays and signatures of dark matter. The instrument consists of an anticoincidence system, a converter-tracker (thickness one radiation length, 1 X₀), a time-of-flight system, an imaging calorimeter (2 X₀) with tracker, a top shower scintillator detector, an electromagnetic calorimeter from CsI(Tl) crystals (16 X₀) with four lateral scintillation detectors and a bottom shower scintillator detector. In this paper, the capability of the GAMMA-400 gamma-ray telescope for electron and positron measurements is analyzed. The bulk of cosmic rays are protons, whereas the contribution of the leptonic component to the total flux is ∼10⁻³ at high energy. The special methods for Monte Carlo simulations are proposed to distinguish electrons and positrons from proton background in the GAMMA-400 gamma-ray telescope. The contribution to the proton rejection from each detector system of the instrument is studied separately. The use of the combined information from all detectors allows us to reach a proton rejection of up to ∼1 × 10⁴.

     

Measurement of the total spectrum of electrons and positrons in the energy range of 300–1500 GeV in the PAMELA experiment with the aid of a sampling calorimeter and a neutron detector

A method based on the use of a sampling calorimeter was developed for measuring the total energy spectrum of electrons and positrons from high-energy cosmic rays in the PAMELA satellite-borne experiment. This made it possible to extend the range of energies accessible to measurements by the magnetic system of the PAMELA spectrometer. Themethod involves a procedure for selecting electrons on the basis of features of a secondary-particle shower in the calorimeter. The results obtained by measuring the total spectrum of cosmic-ray electrons and positrons in the energy range of 300–1500 GeV by the method in question are presented on the basis of data accumulated over a period spanning 2006 and 2013.

     

Fermi gamma-ray "bubbles" from stochastic acceleration of electrons

Gamma-ray data from Fermi Large Area Telescope reveal a bilobular structure extending up to ～50° above and below the Galactic Center. It has been argued that the gamma rays arise from hadronic interactions of high-energy cosmic rays which are advected out by a strong wind, or from inverse-Compton scattering of relativistic electrons accelerated at plasma shocks present in the bubbles. We explore the alternative possibility that the relativistic electrons are undergoing stochastic 2nd-order Fermi acceleration by plasma wave turbulence through the entire volume of the bubbles. The observed gamma-ray spectral shape is then explained naturally by the resulting hard electron spectrum modulated by inverse-Compton energy losses. Rather than a constant volume emissivity as in other models, we predict a nearly constant surface brightness, and reproduce the observed sharp edges of the bubbles.     

大型强子对撞机时代的宇宙线实验

随着大型强子对撞机（LHC）对撞实验的深入进行,宇宙线实验中许多不确定因素将在实验中确定下来,而大型的、多种探测手段的联合观测将把宇宙线实验研究推入精确测量的时代,对可能的宇宙线起源模型的限制将增强,对电子、各种核乃至γ光子和中微子的精确测量,将增加揭开宇宙线起源这一世纪谜团、甚至于寻找到暗物质源的可能性,而亟待解决的...     

A search for extragalactic sources of cosmic rays in the ultra-high energy domain

The arrival directions of ultra-high energy cosmic rays detected with the Yakutsk extensive air shower array are analyzed in comparison with the available data from other giant arrays. A correlation with the coordinates of active galaxy nuclei as hypothesized sources of ultra-high energy cosmic rays is sought for.     

Violation of the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin cutoff: a tempest in a (magnetic) Teapot? Why cosmic ray energies above 10(20) eV may not require new physics

The apparent lack of suitable astrophysical sources for the observed highest energy cosmic rays within approximately 20 Mpc is the "Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin (GZK) paradox." We constrain representative models of the extragalactic magnetic field structure by Faraday rotation measurements; limits are at the microG level rather than the nG level usually assumed. In such fields, even the highest energy cosmic rays experience large deflections. This allows nearby active galactic nuclei (possibly quiet today) or gamma ray bursts to be the source of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays without contradicting the GZK distance limit.     

Ultra-high energy cosmic rays and prompt TeV gamma rays from gamma ray bursts

Gamma ray bursts (GRBs) have been proposed as one possible class of sources of the ultrahigh energy cosmic ray (UHECR) events observed up to energies ≳ 10²⁰ eV. The synchrotron radiation of the highest energy protons accelerated within the GRB source should produce gamma rays up to TeV energies. Here we briefly discuss the implications on the energetics of the GRB from the point of view of the detectability of the prompt TeV γ-rays of proton-synchrotron origin in GRBs in the up-coming ICECUBE muon detector in the south pole.     

Synchrotron radiation intensity and energy of runaway electrons in EAST tokamak

A detailed analysis of the synchrotron radiation intensity and energy of runaway electrons is presented for the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST). In order to make the energy of the calculated runaway electrons more accurate, we take the Shafranov shift into account. The results of the analysis show that the synchrotron radiation intensity and energy of runaway electrons did not reach the maximum at the same time. The energy of the runaway electrons reached the maximum first, and then the synchrotron radiation intensity of the runaway electrons reached the maximum.We also analyze the runaway electrons density, and find that the density of runaway electrons continuously increased. For this reason, although the energy of the runaway electrons dropped but the synchrotron radiation intensity of the runaway electrons would continue rising for a while.     

Ultrahigh energy cosmic rays,cosmological constant,and theta vacua

We propose that the origin of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays beyond the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin cutoff and the origin of small cosmological constant can both be explained by vacuum tunneling effects in a theory with degenerate vacua and fermionic doublets. By considering the possibility of tunneling from a particular winding number state, accompanied by violation of some global quantum number of fermions, the small value of the vacuum dark energy and the production of high energy cosmic rays are shown to be related. We predict that the energy of such cosmic rays should be at least 5x10(14) GeV.     

Ultra-high energy cosmic rays threshold in Randers-Finsler space

Kinematics in Finsler space is used to study the propagation of ultra high energy cosmic rays particles through the cosmic microwave background radiation. We find that the GZK threshold is lifted dramatically in Randers-Finsler space. A tiny deformation of spacetime from Minkowskian to Finslerian allows more ultra-high energy cosmic rays particles to arrive at the earth. It is suggested that the lower bound of particle mass is related with the negative second invariant speed in Randers-Finsler space.     

Ultra-high energy cosmic rays threshold in Randers-Finsler space

Kinematics in Finsler space is used to study the propagation of ultra high energy cosmic rays particles through the cosmic microwave background radiation. We find that the GZK threshold is lifted dramatically in Randers-Finsler space. A tiny deformation of spacetime from Minkowskian to Finslerian allows more ultra-high energy cosmic rays particles to arrive at the earth. It is suggested that the lower bound of particle mass is related with the negative second invariant speed in Randers-Finsler space.     

A method of measurement of extragalactic magnetic fields by TeV gamma ray telescopes

A method is proposed for measuring extragalactic magnetic fields in observations of TeV γ rays from distant sources. Multi-TeV γ rays from these sources interact with the infrared photon background producing secondary electrons and positrons, which can be just slightly deflected by extragalactic magnetic fields before they emit secondary γ rays via inverse Compton scattering of cosmic microwave background photons. Secondary γ rays emitted toward an observer on the Earth can be detected as an extended emission around an initially point source. The energy dependent angular profile of the extended emission is related to the strength of the extragalactic magnetic field along the line of sight. Small magnetic fields B ≤ 10⁻¹² G in the voids of the large scale structure can be measured in this way. The text was submitted by the authors in English     

Spectrum of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays

Detailed calculation of the energy spectra of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays has been performed. The spectral features related to the interaction of protons with cosmic microwave background have been analyzed. The calculated spectra are compared with the experimental data obtained at the giant detectors for ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays.