136 research outputs found
UHECR Acceleration in Dark Matter Filaments of Cosmological Structure Formation
A mechanism for proton acceleration to ~10^21eV is suggested. It may operate
in accretion flows onto thin dark matter filaments of cosmic structure
formation. The flow compresses the ambient magnetic field to strongly increase
and align it with the filament. Particles begin the acceleration by the ExB
drift with the accretion flow. The energy gain in the drift regime is limited
by the conservation of the adiabatic invariant p_perp^2/B. Upon approaching the
filament, the drift turns into the gyro-motion around the filament so that the
particle moves parallel to the azimuthal electric field. In this 'betatron'
regime the acceleration speeds up to rapidly reach the electrodynamic limit
for an accelerator with magnetic field and the orbit radius
(Larmor radius). The periodic orbit becomes unstable and the particle
slings out of the filament to the region of a weak (uncompressed) magnetic
field, which terminates the acceleration.
The mechanism requires pre-acceleration that is likely to occur in structure
formation shocks upstream or nearby the filament accretion flow. Previous
studies identify such shocks as efficient proton accelerators to a firm upper
limit ~10^19.5 eV placed by the catastrophic photo-pion losses. The present
mechanism combines explosive energy gain in its final (betatron) phase with
prompt particle release from the region of strong magnetic field. It is this
combination that allows protons to overcome both the photo-pion and the
synchrotron-Compton losses and therefore attain energy 10^21 eV. A requirement
on accelerator to reach a given E_max placed by the accelerator energy
dissipation \propto E_{max}^{2}/Z_0 due to the finite vacuum impedance Z_0 is
circumvented by the cyclic operation of the accelerator.Comment: 34 pages, 10 figures, to be published in JCA
Recommended from our members
12 GeV Upgrade Project - Cryomodule Production
The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) is producing ten 100+MV SRF cryomodules (C100) as part of the CEBAF 12 GeV Upgrade Project. Once installed, these cryomodules will become part of an integrated accelerator system upgrade that will result in doubling the energy of the CEBAF machine from 6 to 12 GeV. This paper will present a complete overview of the C100 cryomodule production process. The C100 cryomodule was designed to have the major components procured from private industry and assembled together at Jefferson Lab. In addition to measuring the integrated component performance, the performance of the individual components is verified prior to being released for production and assembly into a cryomodule. Following a comprehensive cold acceptance test of all subsystems, the completed C100 cryomodules are installed and commissioned in the CEBAF machine in preparation of accelerator operations. This overview of the cryomodule production process will include all principal performance measurements, acceptance criterion and up to date status of current activities
Cosmic-ray acceleration in supernova remnants: non-linear theory revised
A rapidly growing amount of evidences, mostly coming from the recent
gamma-ray observations of Galactic supernova remnants (SNRs), is seriously
challenging our understanding of how particles are accelerated at fast shocks.
The cosmic-ray (CR) spectra required to account for the observed phenomenology
are in fact as steep as , i.e., steeper than the
test-particle prediction of first-order Fermi acceleration, and significantly
steeper than what expected in a more refined non-linear theory of diffusive
shock acceleration. By accounting for the dynamical back-reaction of the
non-thermal particles, such a theory in fact predicts that the more efficient
the particle acceleration, the flatter the CR spectrum. In this work we put
forward a self-consistent scenario in which the account for the magnetic field
amplification induced by CR streaming produces the conditions for reversing
such a trend, allowing --- at the same time --- for rather steep spectra and CR
acceleration efficiencies (about 20%) consistent with the hypothesis that SNRs
are the sources of Galactic CRs. In particular, we quantitatively work out the
details of instantaneous and cumulative CR spectra during the evolution of a
typical SNR, also stressing the implications of the observed levels of
magnetization on both the expected maximum energy and the predicted CR
acceleration efficiency. The latter naturally turns out to saturate around
10-30%, almost independently of the fraction of particles injected into the
acceleration process as long as this fraction is larger than about .Comment: 24 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in JCA
Understanding hadronic gamma-ray emission from supernova remnants
We aim to test the plausibility of a theoretical framework in which the
gamma-ray emission detected from supernova remnants may be of hadronic origin,
i.e., due to the decay of neutral pions produced in nuclear collisions
involving relativistic nuclei. In particular, we investigate the effects
induced by magnetic field amplification on the expected particle spectra,
outlining a phenomenological scenario consistent with both the underlying
Physics and the larger and larger amount of observational data provided by the
present generation of gamma experiments, which seem to indicate rather steep
spectra for the accelerated particles. In addition, in order to study to study
how pre-supernova winds might affect the expected emission in this class of
sources, the time-dependent gamma-ray luminosity of a remnant with a massive
progenitor is worked out. Solid points and limitations of the proposed scenario
are finally discussed in a critical way.Comment: 30 pages, 5 figures; Several comments, references and a figure added.
Some typos correcte
Turbulent diffusion and drift in galactic magnetic fields and the explanation of the knee in the cosmic ray spectrum
We reconsider the scenario in which the knee in the cosmic ray spectrum is
explained as due to a change in the escape mechanism of cosmic rays from the
Galaxy from one dominated by transverse diffusion to one dominated by drifts.
We solve the diffusion equations adopting realistic galactic field models and
using diffusion coefficients appropriate for strong turbulence (with a
Kolmogorov spectrum of fluctuations) and consistent with the assumed magnetic
fields. We show that properly taking into account these effects leads to a
natural explanation of the knee in the spectrum, and a transition towards a
heavier composition above the knee is predicted.Comment: 17 pp., 6 figures; revised version with minor changes. To appear in
JHE
New evidence for strong nonthermal effects in Tycho's supernova remnant
For the case of Tycho's supernova remnant (SNR) we present the relation
between the blast wave and contact discontinuity radii calculated within the
nonlinear kinetic theory of cosmic ray (CR) acceleration in SNRs. It is
demonstrated that these radii are confirmed by recently published Chandra
measurements which show that the observed contact discontinuity radius is so
close to the shock radius that it can only be explained by efficient CR
acceleration which in turn makes the medium more compressible. Together with
the recently determined new value erg of the SN
explosion energy this also confirms our previous conclusion that a TeV
gamma-ray flux of erg/(cms) is to be expected from
Tycho's SNR. Chandra measurements and the HEGRA upper limit of the TeV
gamma-ray flux together limit the source distance to kpc.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Astrophysics and
Space Science, Proc. of "The Multi-Messenger Approach to High-Energy
Gamma-ray Sources (Third Workshop on the Nature of Unidentified High-Energy
Sources)", Barcelona, July 4-7, 200
Sedimentation record in the Konkan-Kerala Basin: implications for the evolution of the Western Ghats and the Western Indian passive margin
The Konkan and Kerala Basins constitute a major depocentre for sediment from the onshore hinterland of Western India and as such provide a valuable record of the timing and magnitude of Cenozoic denudation along the continental margin. This paper presents an analysis of sedimentation in the Konkan-Kerala Basin, coupledwith a mass balance study, and numerical modelling of flexural responses to onshore denudational unloading and o¡shore sediment loading in order to test competing conceptual models for the development of high-elevation passive margins. The Konkan-Kerala Basin contains an estimated 109,000 km<sup>3</sup>; of Cenozoic clastic sediment, a volume difficult to reconcile with the denudation of a downwarped rift flank onshore, and more consistent with denudation of an elevated rift flank. We infer from modelling of the isostatic response of the lithosphere to sediment loading offshore and denudation onshore that flexure is an important component in the development of the Western Indian Margin.There is evidence for two major pulses in sedimentation: an early phase in the Palaeocene, and a second beginning in the Pliocene. The Palaeocene increase in sedimentation can be interpreted in terms of a denudational response to the rifting between India and the Seychelles, whereas the mechanism responsible for the Pliocene pulse is more enigmatic
Magnetic fields in cosmic particle acceleration sources
We review here some magnetic phenomena in astrophysical particle accelerators
associated with collisionless shocks in supernova remnants, radio galaxies and
clusters of galaxies. A specific feature is that the accelerated particles can
play an important role in magnetic field evolution in the objects. We discuss a
number of CR-driven, magnetic field amplification processes that are likely to
operate when diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) becomes efficient and
nonlinear. The turbulent magnetic fields produced by these processes determine
the maximum energies of accelerated particles and result in specific features
in the observed photon radiation of the sources. Equally important, magnetic
field amplification by the CR currents and pressure anisotropies may affect the
shocked gas temperatures and compression, both in the shock precursor and in
the downstream flow, if the shock is an efficient CR accelerator. Strong
fluctuations of the magnetic field on scales above the radiation formation
length in the shock vicinity result in intermittent structures observable in
synchrotron emission images. Resonant and non-resonant CR streaming
instabilities in the shock precursor can generate mesoscale magnetic fields
with scale-sizes comparable to supernova remnants and even superbubbles. This
opens the possibility that magnetic fields in the earliest galaxies were
produced by the first generation Population III supernova remnants and by
clustered supernovae in star forming regions.Comment: 30 pages, Space Science Review
UHECR as Decay Products of Heavy Relics? The Lifetime Problem
The essential features underlying the top-down scenarii for UHECR are
discussed, namely, the stability (or lifetime) imposed to the heavy objects
(particles) whatever they be: topological and non-topological solitons,
X-particles, cosmic defects, microscopic black-holes, fundamental strings. We
provide an unified formula for the quantum decay rate of all these objects as
well as the particle decays in the standard model. The key point in the
top-down scenarii is the necessity to adjust the lifetime of the heavy object
to the age of the universe. This ad-hoc requirement needs a very high
dimensional operator to govern its decay and/or an extremely small coupling
constant. The natural lifetimes of such heavy objects are, however, microscopic
times associated to the GUT energy scale (sim 10^{-28} sec. or shorter). It is
at this energy scale (by the end of inflation) where they could have been
abundantly formed in the early universe and it seems natural that they decayed
shortly after being formed.Comment: 11 pages, LaTex, no figures, updated versio
Magnetic Fields, Relativistic Particles, and Shock Waves in Cluster Outskirts
It is only now, with low-frequency radio telescopes, long exposures with
high-resolution X-ray satellites and gamma-ray telescopes, that we are
beginning to learn about the physics in the periphery of galaxy clusters. In
the coming years, Sunyaev-Zeldovich telescopes are going to deliver further
great insights into the plasma physics of these special regions in the
Universe. The last years have already shown tremendous progress with detections
of shocks, estimates of magnetic field strengths and constraints on the
particle acceleration efficiency. X-ray observations have revealed shock fronts
in cluster outskirts which have allowed inferences about the microphysical
structure of shocks fronts in such extreme environments. The best indications
for magnetic fields and relativistic particles in cluster outskirts come from
observations of so-called radio relics, which are megaparsec-sized regions of
radio emission from the edges of galaxy clusters. As these are difficult to
detect due to their low surface brightness, only few of these objects are
known. But they have provided unprecedented evidence for the acceleration of
relativistic particles at shock fronts and the existence of muG strength fields
as far out as the virial radius of clusters. In this review we summarise the
observational and theoretical state of our knowledge of magnetic fields,
relativistic particles and shocks in cluster outskirts.Comment: 34 pages, to be published in Space Science Review
- …