宇宙线天体物理中的几个重要问题

宇宙线是来自宇宙空间的高能粒子流,研究宇宙线的起源、加速、传播机制及其所涉及的天体物理和宇宙学过程是宇宙线天体物理研究的重要内容。本文介绍并讨论其中几个涉及物理学一些基本问题的重要课题的研究现状及前景,其中包括极高能宇宙线的观测研究,太阳中微子能谱的实时测量,宇宙线中新粒子的搜寻等。     

宇宙线和高能天体物理

羊八井中日合作二期阵列在1997-1998年最有意义的实验结果主要来自于把探测阈能降低到～3TeV的局部加密阵列部分。例如,在活动星系核MrK 501在1997年3月到8月变得比蟹状星云还亮很多的甚高能γ射线爆发期间，羊八井加密阵列与国际上七个大型契仑可夫望远镜一道看到了这个过程，而且是其中唯一有较完整的时变曲线的一家。同时，对蟹状星云的观测数据也显示在3TeV附近存在～4σ的γ流超出，而在10TeV则未观测到有统计意义的超出(最终结果将在1999年发表)。     

近年的宇宙线物理研究

本文在介绍宇宙线物理研究的一般情况之后，侧重介绍近年来对超高能粒子物理、甚高能和超高能的宇宙γ源、宇宙中微子和宇宙暗物质的研究情况．     

揭秘宇宙线起源：LHAASO的使命、挑战与展望

高海拔宇宙线观测站(LHAASO)是人类研究宇宙线最大的实验装置之一,其核心科学目标是寻找宇宙线的起源,不但要探测超高能伽马射线源,也致力于精确测量地球附近带电宇宙线的成分和能谱,系统地研究宇宙线的加速过程及传播机制。从发现12个超高能伽马源(标志着超高能伽马天文学领域的开启),到第一个星表的发布(展现出银河系丰富多彩的宇宙线加速源的候选天体),LHAASO已经为发现宇宙线起源奠定了良好的基础。此外,这些成果为后续的宇宙线加速机理和传播效应的研究指明了方向,同时也为现有理论与模型提供了精确检验的机会与挑战。文章概述了LHAASO项目的开展背景、望远镜主要结构及其在宇宙线物理学中的重大意义,并对其未来的研究方向进行了展望。     

宇宙线天体物理研究进展

由于天体粒子物理涉及的研究领域太宽,本文拟以宇宙线总的能谱特征为线索,分段介绍各能区的研究前沿,总结有关宇宙线的起源、传播和成分的理论模型和相应的观测实验进展,并简要介绍相关的高能领域,例如γ暴(GRB),中微子,暗物质,超对称(SUSY),大统一理论(GUT)。这些理论在某种程度上暗示着极高能宇宙线的产生机制,并可能意味着需要新的超出标准粒子物理模型的理论来解释GZK截断(GZK Cutoff)的疑难问题。对高能天体物理的研究可以拓宽人类对早期宇宙的认识,为新物理理论模型提供检验的证据,为人类认识自然提供了另一扇窗口。     

宇宙线天体物理研究进展

由于天体粒子物理涉及的研究领域太宽,本文拟以宇宙线总的能谱特征为线索,分段介绍各能区的研究前沿,总结有关宇宙线的起源、传播和成分的理论模型和相应的观测实验进展,并简要介绍相关的高能领域,例如γ暴(GRB),中微子,暗物质,超对称(SUSY),大统一理论(GUT)。这些理论在某种程度上暗示着极高能宇宙线的产生机制,并可能意味着需要新的超出标准粒子物理模型的理论来解释GZK截断(GZK Cutoff)的疑难问题。对高能天体物理的研究可以拓宽人类对早期宇宙的认识,为新物理理论模型提供检验的证据,为人类认识自然提供了另一扇窗口。     

我国天体物理研究50年进展

中国天体物理研究的发展在自建国以来的５０年中,经历了几乎是从头建设到发展成长的道路。其中历经“三年困难”、十年“文化大革命”的磨难,“文革”之后,改革开放的春风为天体物理开避了迅速发展的道路,在此期间,我国有计划地研制了一系列天文观测 天文和天体物理研究地实验条件,在此基础上,无论是天体物理的观测和理论研究都有了长足的发展,我国天体物理研究在国际上的影响也日益加强。这一切,为在新世纪中我国天体物理     

宇宙线研究进展评述与展望

近年来,宇宙线探测技术发展迅速,天基和地基宇宙线实验均取得了多项重要成果,打破了宇宙线研究领域多年来的沉寂．多手段复合观测是精确测量宇宙线能谱和成分的必要途径,甚高能伽玛射线天文学成为探索宇宙线起源这一世纪之谜的最有效手段．高海拔宇宙线观测站(LHAASO)计划将以最高的超高能伽玛射线探测灵敏度和甚高能伽玛射线巡天灵敏度以及最宽的宇宙线能量覆盖范围探索领域的基本问题．     

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.     

Galactic cosmic ray propagation: sub-PeV diffuse gamma-ray and neutrino emission

The Tibet ASγ experiment just reported their measurement of sub-PeV diffuse gamma-ray emission from the Galactic disk, with the highest energy up to 957 TeV. These diffuse gamma rays are most likely the hadronic origin by cosmic ray (CR) interaction with interstellar gas in the galaxy. This measurement provides direct evidence to the hypothesis that the Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs) can be accelerated beyond PeV energies. In this work, we try to explain the sub-PeV diffuse gamma-ray spectrum with different CR propagation models. We find that there is a tension between the sub-PeV diffuse gamma-ray and the local CR spectrum. To describe the sub-PeV diffuse gamma-ray flux, it generally requires larger local CR flux than measurement in the knee region. We further calculate the PeV neutrino flux from the CR propagation model. Even all of these sub-PeV diffuse gamma rays originate from the propagation, the Galactic Neutrinos (GNs) only account for less than ~15% of observed flux, most of which are still from extragalactic sources.     

Galactic cosmic ray propagation: sub-PeV diffuse gamma-ray and neutrino emission

The Tibet ASγ experiment just reported their measurement of sub-PeV diffuse gamma-ray emission from the Galactic disk, with the highest energy up to 957 TeV. These diffuse gamma rays are most likely the hadronic origin by cosmic ray (CR) interaction with interstellar gas in the galaxy. This measurement provides direct evidence to the hypothesis that the Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs) can be accelerated beyond PeV energies. In this work, we try to explain the sub-PeV diffuse gamma-ray spectrum with different CR propagation models. We find that there is a tension between the sub-PeV diffuse gamma-ray and the local CR spectrum. To describe the sub-PeV diffuse gamma-ray flux, it generally requires larger local CR flux than measurement in the knee region. We further calculate the PeV neutrino flux from the CR propagation model. Even all of these sub-PeV diffuse gamma rays originate from the propagation, the Galactic Neutrinos (GNs) only account for less than ~15% of observed flux, most of which are still from extragalactic sources.     

TibetⅡ/HD阵列寻找来自蟹状星云的TeVγ射线

羊八井二期阵列(TibetⅡ)和加密阵列HD(HighDensity)分别从1995年和1996年成功地运行以来,已经积累了大量的数据.报道了利用TibetⅡ在1995年10月至1997年9月、HD阵列在1997年2月至8月收集的数据寻找来自蟹状星云(CrabNebula)方向的10TeV和3TeVγ射线稳定发射的初步结果.分析表明,来自CrabNebula的3TeVγ射线的累积信号事例数显示了稳定增长的趋势,显著性达到了3.2σ,但没有发现10TeV和30TeVγ射线稳定发射的迹象.     

观测宇宙的新窗口--2002年度诺贝尔物理学奖介绍

文章介绍了2002年诺贝尔物理学奖获得者贾科尼对X射线天文学的开创性贡献，特别介绍了贾科尼等在开拓空间观测和发展x射线成像技术这两个方面的工作．文章通过x射线天文学的诞生、X射线天文卫星的发展介绍了X射线的空间观测对天体物理学的影响，对宇宙暗物质、双星中的吸积过程和X射线喷流现象等进行了简单介绍，并对高能天体物理学的发展给出了概略的描述．     

A future project at tibet: the large high altitude air shower observatory (LHAASO)

Gamma ray source detection above 30 TeV is an encouraging approach for finding galactic cosmic ray sources. All sky survey for gamma ray sources using wide field of view detector is essential for population accumulation for various types of sources above 100 GeV. In order to target those goals, a large air shower particle detector array of 1 km~2 (the LHAASO project) at 4300 m a.s.l, is proposed. By adding two MagicII-type telescopes in the array as proposed, LHAASO will be enhanced in source morphologic investigation power. The proposed array will be utilized also for energy spectrum measurement for individual cosmic ray species above 30 TeV. By re-configuring the wide field of view telescopes into fluorescence light detector array, the aperture of the detector array can be enlarged to cover an energy region above 100 PeV where the second knee is located. Cosmic ray spectrum and composition will be measured in order to transfer an energy scale to ultra high energy cosmic ray experiments.     

Significance of the second dip in the ultra-high energy cosmic ray spectrum

A new feature in the spectrum of ultra high energy cosmic rays (UHECR) has been announced in the paper by Berezinsky, Gazizov and Kachelrieβ. The ratio of the solution of the exact transport equation to its solution in the continuous energy loss limit shows intriguing features which, according to the Authors, are related to the very nature of the energy loss processes of UHECR: the very sharp second dip predicted at 6.3 × 10¹⁹ eV can be used as an energy calibration point and also as the UHECR mass indicator for big future cosmic ray experiments. In the present paper we would like to advocate that this statement is an overinterpretation. The second dip is a result of an inappropriate approximation used, and thus it cannot help to understand the nature of UHECR in any way.