951 research outputs found
Tropical–North Pacific Climate Linkages over the Past Four Centuries
Analyses of instrumental data demonstrate robust linkages between decadal-scale North Pacific and tropical Indo-Pacific climatic variability. These linkages encompass common regime shifts, including the noteworthy 1976 transition in Pacific climate. However, information on Pacific decadal variability and the tropical high-latitude climate connection is limited prior to the twentieth century. Herein tree-ring analysis is employed to extend the understanding of North Pacific climatic variability and related tropical linkages over the past four centuries. To this end, a tree-ring reconstruction of the December-May North Pacific index (NPI)-an index of the atmospheric circulation related to the Aleutian low pressure cell-is presented (1600-1983). The NPI reconstruction shows evidence for the three regime shifts seen in the instrumental NPI data, and for seven events in prior centuries. It correlates significantly with both instrumental tropical climate indices and a coral-based reconstruction of an optimal tropical Indo-Pacific climate index, supporting evidence for a tropical-North Pacific link extending as far west as the western Indian Ocean. The coral-based reconstruction (1781-1993) shows the twentieth-century regime shifts evident in the instrumental NPI and instrumental tropical Indo-Pacific climate index, and three previous shifts. Changes in the strength of correlation between the reconstructions over time, and the different identified shifts in both series prior to the twentieth century, suggest a varying tropical influence on North Pacific climate, with greater influence in the twentieth century. One likely mechanism is the low-frequency variability of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and its varying impact on Indo-Pacific climate.</p
Cosmogenic gamma-rays and the composition of cosmic rays
We discuss the prospects of detecting the sources of ultra-high energy (UHE)
cosmic ray (CR) nuclei via their emission of cosmogenic gamma-rays in the GeV
to TeV energy range. These gamma-rays result from electromagnetic cascades
initiated by high energy photons, electrons and positrons that are emitted by
CRs during their propagation in the cosmic radiation background and are
independent of the simultaneous emission of gamma-rays in the vicinity of the
source. The corresponding production power by UHE CR nuclei (with mass number A
and charge Z) is dominated by pion photo-production (~ A) and Bethe-Heitler
pair production (~ Z^2). We show that the cosmogenic gamma-ray signal from a
single steady UHE CR source is typically more robust with respect to variations
of the source composition and injection spectrum than the accompanying signal
of cosmogenic neutrinos. We study the diffuse emission from the sum of
extragalactic CR sources as well as the point source emission of the closest
sources.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure
The energy spectrum observed by the AGASA experiment and the spatial distribution of the sources of ultra-high energy cosmic rays
Seven and a half years of continuous monitoring of giant air showers
triggered by ultra high-energy cosmic rays have been recently summarized by the
AGASA collaboration. The resulting energy spectrum indicates clearly that the
cosmic ray spectrum extends well beyond the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin (GZK)
cut-off at eV. Furthermore, despite the small number
statistics involved, some structure in the spectrum may be emerging. Using
numerical simulations, it is demonstrated in the present work that these
features are consistent with a spatial distribution of sources that follows the
distribution of luminous matter in the local Universe. Therefore, from this
point of view, there is no need for a second high-energy component of cosmic
rays dominating the spectrum beyond the GZK cut-off.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, Astrophys. J. Letters (submitted
Ultra high energy neutrinos from gamma ray bursts
Protons accelerated to high energies in the relativistic shocks that generate
gamma ray bursts photoproduce pions, and then neutrinos in situ. I show that
ultra high energy neutrinos (> 10^19 eV) are produced during the burst and the
afterglow. A larger flux, also from bursts, is generated via photoproduction
off CMBR photons in flight but is not correlated with currently observable
bursts, appearing as a bright background. Adiabatic/synchrotron losses from
protons/pions/muons are negligible. Temporal and directional coincidences with
bursts detected by satellites can separate correlated neutrinos from the
background.Comment: Adiabatic/synchrotron losses from protons/pions/muons shown to be
negligible. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Letters. RevTe
On the Discovery of the GZK Cut-off
The recent claim of the '5 sigma' observation of the Greisen and Zatzepin and
Kuzmin cut-off by the HiRes group based on their nine years data is a
significant step toward the eventual solution of the one of the most intriguing
questions which has been present in physics for more than forty years. However
the word 'significance' is used in the mentioned paper in the sense which is
not quite obvious. In the present paper we persuade that this claim is a little
premature.Comment: 10 page
Solar panels as air Cherenkov detectors for extremely high energy cosmic rays
Increasing interest towards the observation of the highest energy cosmic rays
has motivated the development of new detection techniques. The properties of
the Cherenkov photon pulse emitted in the atmosphere by these very rare
particles indicate low-cost semiconductor detectors as good candidates for
their optical read-out.
The aim of this paper is to evaluate the viability of solar panels for this
purpose. The experimental framework resulting from measurements performed with
suitably-designed solar cells and large conventional photovoltaic areas is
presented.
A discussion on the obtained and achievable sensitivities follows.Comment: 6 pages, 8 eps figures included with epsfig, uses espcrc2.sty. Talk
given at the Sixth Topical Seminar on Neutrino and Astroparticle Physics, San
Miniato, Italy, 17-21 May 199
Extreme Energy Cosmic Rays (EECR) Observation Capabilities of an "Airwatch from Space'' Mission
The longitudinal development and other characteristics of the EECR induced
atmospheric showers can be studied from space by detecting the fluorescence
light induced in the atmospheric nitrogen. According to the Airwatch concept a
single fast detector can be used for measuring both intensity and time
development of the streak of fluorescence light produced by the atmospheric
shower induced by an EECR. In the present communication the detection
capabilities for the EECR observation from space are discussed.Comment: 3 pages (LaTeX). To appear in the Proceedings of TAUP'9
Observing Ultra High Energy Cosmic Particles from Space: SEUSO, the Super Extreme Universe Space Observatory Mission
The experimental search for ultra high energy cosmic messengers, from eV to beyond eV, at the very end of the known energy
spectrum, constitutes an extraordinary opportunity to explore a largely unknown
aspect of our universe. Key scientific goals are the identification of the
sources of ultra high energy particles, the measurement of their spectra and
the study of galactic and local intergalactic magnetic fields. Ultra high
energy particles might, also, carry evidence of unknown physics or of exotic
particles relics of the early universe. To meet this challenge a significant
increase in the integrated exposure is required. This implies a new class of
experiments with larger acceptances and good understanding of the systematic
uncertainties. Space based observatories can reach the instantaneous aperture
and the integrated exposure necessary to systematically explore the ultra high
energy universe. In this paper, after briefly summarising the science case of
the mission, we describe the scientific goals and requirements of the SEUSO
concept. We then introduce the SEUSO observational approach and describe the
main instrument and mission features. We conclude discussing the expected
performance of the mission
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