Cosmic Ray Origin, Acceleration and Propagation

This paper summarizes highlights of the OG3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 sessions of the XXVIth International Cosmic Ray Conference in Salt Lake City, which were devoted to issues of origin/composition, acceleration and propagation.Comment: To appear in the Summary-Rapporteur Volume of the 26th International Cosmic Ray Conference, ed. B. L. Dingus (AIP, New York, 2000). Latex, 16 pages, no figures (Minor correction to text

Modelling Hard Gamma-Ray Emission From Supernova Remnants

The observation by the CANGAROO experiment of TeV emission from SN 1006, in conjunction with several instances of non-thermal X-ray emission from supernova remnants, has led to inferences of super-TeV electrons in these extended sources. While this is sufficient to propel the theoretical community in their modelling of particle acceleration and associated radiation, the anticipated emergence in the next decade of a number of new experiments probing the TeV and sub-TeV bands provides further substantial motivation for modellers. In particular, the quest for obtaining unambiguous gamma-ray signatures of cosmic ray ion acceleration defines a ``Holy Grail'' for observers and theorists alike. This review summarizes theoretical developments in the prediction of MeV-TeV gamma-rays from supernova remnants over the last five years, focusing on how global properties of models can impact, and be impacted by, hard gamma-ray observational programs, thereby probing the supernova remnant environment. Properties of central consideration include the maximum energy of accelerated particles, the density of the unshocked interstellar medium, the ambient magnetic field, and the relativistic electron-to-proton ratio. Criteria for determining good candidate remnants for observability in the TeV band are identified.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, to appear in Proc. of Snowbird TeV Gamma-Ray Workshop ed. B. L. Dingus (AIP, New York, 2000) (Replacement updates Fig. 2 and references

Photon Splitting and Pair Conversion in Strong Magnetic Fields

The magnetospheres of neutron stars provide a valuable testing ground for as-yet unverified theoretical predictions of quantum electrodynamics (QED) in strong electromagnetic fields. Exhibiting magnetic field strengths well in excess of a TeraGauss, such compact astrophysical environments permit the action of exotic mechanisms that are forbidden by symmetries in field-free regions. Foremost among these processes are single-photon pair creation, where a photon converts to an electron-positron pair, and magnetic photon splitting, where a single photon divides into two of lesser energy via the coupling to the external field. The pair conversion process is exponentially small in weak fields, and provides the leading order contribution to vacuum polarization. In contrast, photon splitting possesses no energy threshold and can operate in kinematic regimes where the lower order pair conversion is energetically forbidden. This paper outlines some of the key physical aspects of these processes, and highlights their manifestation in neutron star magnetospheres. Anticipated observational signatures include profound absorption turnovers in pulsar spectra at gamma-ray wavelengths. The shapes of these turnovers provide diagnostics on the possible action of pair creation and the geometrical locale of the photon emission region. There is real potential for the first confirmation of strong field QED with the new GLAST mission, to be launched by NASA in 2008. Suppression of pair creation by photon splitting and its implications for pulsars is also discussed.Comment: 18 pages, 3 embedded figures, invited review, to appear in Proc. CASYS '07 Conference "Computing Anticipatory Systems," eds. D. Dubois, et al. (AIP Conf. Proc., New York, 2008