Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays: The State of the Art Before the Auger Observatory

Anchordoqui, Luis A.; Paul, T.; Reucroft, S.; Swain, J.

doi:10.1142/s0217751x03013879

Cited by 117 publications

(98 citation statements)

References 574 publications

(722 reference statements)

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“…(For a recent review, see Ref. (65).) Another approach to generate super-GZK fluxes is from astrophysical sources distributed within a GZK-distance from Earth, < ∼ 140 Mpc.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-energy cosmic rays from γ-ray bursts

Wick

Dermer

Atoyan

2004

Astroparticle Physics

114

173

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A model is proposed for the origin of cosmic rays (CRs) from ∼ 10 14 eV/nucleon to the highest energies ( > ∼ 10 20 eV). GRBs are assumed to inject CR protons and ions into the interstellar medium of star-forming galaxies-including the Milky Waywith a power-law spectrum extending to a maximum energy ∼ 10 20 eV. The CR spectrum near the knee is fit with CRs trapped in the Galactic halo that were accelerated and injected by an earlier Galactic GRB. These CRs diffuse in the disk and halo of the Galaxy due to gyroresonant pitch-angle scattering with MHD turbulence in the Galaxy's magnetic field. The preliminary (2001) KASCADE data through the knee of the CR spectrum are fit by a model with energy-dependent propagation of CR ions from a single Galactic GRB. Ultra-high energy CRs (UHECRs), with energies above the ankle energy at > ∼ 3 × 10 18 eV, are assumed to propagate rectilinearly with their spectrum modified by photo-pion, photo-pair, and expansion losses. We fit the measured UHECR spectrum assuming comoving luminosity densities of GRB sources consistent with possible star formation rate histories of the universe.For power-law CR proton injection spectra with injection number index p > ∼ 2 and low and high-energy cutoffs, normalization to the local time-and space-averaged GRB luminosity density implies that if this model is correct, the nonthermal content in GRB blast waves is hadronically dominated by a factor ≈ 60-200, limited in its upper value by energetic and spectral considerations. Calculations show that 100 TeV -100 PeV neutrinos could be detected several times per year from all GRBs with kilometer-scale neutrino detectors such as IceCube, for GRB blast-wave Doppler factors δ < ∼ 200. GLAST measurements of γ-ray components and cutoffs will constrain the product of the nonthermal baryon loading and radiative efficiency, limit the Doppler factor, and test this scenario.

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“…(For a recent review, see Ref. (65).) Another approach to generate super-GZK fluxes is from astrophysical sources distributed within a GZK-distance from Earth, < ∼ 140 Mpc.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-energy cosmic rays from γ-ray bursts

Wick

Dermer

Atoyan

2004

Astroparticle Physics

114

173

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“…In light of the mounting evidence that ultra-high energy cosmic rays are not gamma rays [25], proton dominance at ultra-high energies is achieved by efficient absorption of the dominant ultra-high energy photon flux on the universal and/or Galactic radio background. This results in a recycling of the photon energy down to the MeV -GeV region.…”

Section: Event Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Probing minimal supergravity via the Extreme Universe Space Observatory

2004

Self Cite

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An analysis is carried out within mSUGRA of the estimated number of events originating from upward moving ultra-high energy neutralinos passing through Earth's crust that could be detected by the Extreme Universe Space Observatory (EUSO). The analysis exploits a recently proposed technique that differentiates ultra-high energy neutralinos from ultra-high energy neutrinos using their different absorption lengths in the Earth's crust. It is shown that for the part of the parameter space, where the neutralino is mostly a Bino and with squark mass ∼ 1 TeV, EUSO could see ultrahigh energy neutralino events within mSUGRA models with essentially no background. In the energy range 10 9 GeV < Eχ < 10 11 GeV the unprecedented aperture of EUSO makes the telescope sensitive, after 3 yr of observation, to neutralino fluxes as low as dΦ/dEχ > 1.1 × 10 −6 (Eχ/GeV) −1.3 GeV −1 cm −2 yr −1 sr −1 , at the 95% CL. Such a hard spectrum is characteristic of supermassive particles' N -body hadronic decay. The case in which the flux of ultra-high energy neutralinos is produced via decay of metastable heavy (mX = 2 × 10 12 GeV) particles with uniform distribution throughout the universe, and primary decay mode into 5 quarks + 5 squarks, is analyzed in detail. The normalization of the ratio of the relics' density to their lifetime has been fixed so that the baryon flux produced in the supermassive particle decays contributes to about 1/3 of the events reported by the AGASA Collaboration below 10 11 GeV, and hence the associated GeV γ-ray flux is in complete agreement with EGRET data. For this particular case, EUSO will collect between 4 and 5 neutralino events (with 0.3 of background) in ≈ 3 yr of running. NASA's planned mission, the Orbiting Wide-angle Light-collectors (OWL), is also briefly discussed in this context.

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“…[22] [23] [24]) in this cosmic-ray context. Progress in the understanding of the cosmic-ray spectrum could provide insight on these new particle-physics scenarios.…”

Section: Other Areas Of Fundamental Physicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exotic Acceleration Processes and Fundamental Physics

Amelino‐Camelia

2013

Geophysical Monograph Series

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Gamma-ray bursts and ultra-high-energy cosmic rays provide an important testing ground for fundamental physics. A simple-minded analysis of some gamma-ray bursts would lead to a huge estimate of the overall energy emitted, and this represents a potential challenge for modelling the bursts. Some cosmic rays have been observed with extremely high energies, and it is not easy to envision mechanisms for the acceleration of particles to such high energies. Surprisingly some other aspects of the analysis of gamma-ray bursts and ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, even before reaching a full understanding of the mechanisms that generate them, can already be used to explore new ideas in fundamental physics, particularly for what concerns the structure of spacetime at short (Planckian) distance scales.

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Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays: The State of the Art Before the Auger Observatory

Cited by 117 publications

References 574 publications

High-energy cosmic rays from γ-ray bursts

High-energy cosmic rays from γ-ray bursts

Probing minimal supergravity via the Extreme Universe Space Observatory

Exotic Acceleration Processes and Fundamental Physics

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