127 research outputs found
Search for Cross-Correlations of Ultra--High-Energy Cosmic Rays with BL Lacertae Objects
We present the results of searches for correlation between ultra--high-energy
cosmic rays observed in stereo mode by the High Resolution Fly's Eye (HiRes)
experiment and objects of the BL Lac subclass of active galaxies. In
particular, we discuss an excess of events correlating with confirmed BL Lacs
in the Veron 10th Catalog. As described in detail in Abbasi et al. (2005), the
significance level of these correlations cannot be reliably estimated due to
the a posteriori nature of the search, and the results must be tested
independently before any claim can be made. We identify the precise hypotheses
that will be tested with independent data.Comment: 4 pages. To be presented at the 2005 ICRC in Pune, India, in Augus
Bounds on the cosmogenic neutrino flux
Under the assumption that some part of the observed highest energy cosmic
rays consists of protons originating from cosmological distances, we derive
bounds on the associated flux of neutrinos generated by inelastic processes
with the cosmic microwave background photons. We exploit two methods. First, a
power-like injection spectrum is assumed. Then, a model-independent technique,
based on the inversion of the observed proton flux, is presented. The inferred
lower bound is quite robust. As expected, the upper bound depends on the
unknown composition of the highest energy cosmic rays. Our results represent
benchmarks for all ultrahigh energy neutrino telescopes.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure
Disappointing model for ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays
Data of Pierre Auger Observatory show a proton-dominated chemical composition
of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays spectrum at (1 - 3) EeV and a steadily heavier
composition with energy increasing. In order to explain this feature we assume
that (1 - 3) EeV protons are extragalactic and derive their maximum
acceleration energy, E_p^{max} \simeq 4 EeV, compatible with both the spectrum
and the composition. We also assume the rigidity-dependent acceleration
mechanism of heavier nuclei, E_A^{max} = Z x E_p^{max}. The proposed model has
rather disappointing consequences: i) no pion photo-production on CMB photons
in extragalactic space and hence ii) no high-energy cosmogenic neutrino fluxes;
iii) no GZK-cutoff in the spectrum; iv) no correlation with nearby sources due
to nuclei deflection in the galactic magnetic fields up to highest energies.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figures, the talk presented by A. Gazizov at NPA5
Conference, April 3-8, 2011, Eilat, Israe
Composition of UHECR and the Pierre Auger Observatory Spectrum
We fit the recently published Pierre Auger ultra-high energy cosmic ray
spectrum assuming that either nucleons or nuclei are emitted at the sources. We
consider the simplified cases of pure proton, or pure oxygen, or pure iron
injection. We perform an exhaustive scan in the source evolution factor, the
spectral index, the maximum energy of the source spectrum Z E_{max}, and the
minimum distance to the sources. We show that the Pierre Auger spectrum agrees
with any of the source compositions we assumed. For iron, in particular, there
are two distinct solutions with high and low E_{max} (e.g. 6.4 10^{20} eV and 2
10^{19} eV) respectively which could be distinguished by either a large
fraction or the near absence of proton primaries at the highest energies. We
raise the possibility that an iron dominated injected flux may be in line with
the latest composition measurement from the Pierre Auger Observatory where a
hint of heavy element dominance is seen.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figures (33 panels)- Uses iopart.cls and iopart12.clo- In
version 2: addition of a few sentences and two reference
GZK Photons Above 10 EeV
We calculate the flux of "GZK-photons", namely the flux of photons produced
by extragalactic nucleons through the resonant photoproduction of pions, the so
called GZK effect. This flux depends on the UHECR spectrum on Earth, of the
spectrum of nucleons emitted at the sources, which we characterize by its slope
and maximum energy, on the distribution of sources and on the intervening
cosmological backgrounds, in particular the magnetic field and radio
backgrounds. For the first time we calculate the GZK photons produced by
nuclei. We calculate the possible range of the GZK photon fraction of the total
UHECR flux for the AGASA and the HiRes spectra. We find that for nucleons
produced at the sources it could be as large as a few % and as low as 10^{-4}
above 10 EeV. For nuclei produced at the sources the maximum photon fraction is
a factor of 2 to 3 times smaller above 10 EeV but the minimum could be much
smaller than for nucleons. We also comment on cosmogenic neutrino fluxes.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figures (21 panels), iopart.cls and iopart12.clo needed
to typese
Ultrahigh Energy Nuclei in the Galactic Magnetic Field
Observations are consistent with a significant fraction of heavy nuclei in
the cosmic ray flux above a few times 10^19 eV. Such nuclei can be deflected
considerably in the Galactic magnetic field, with important implications for
the search of their sources. We perform detailed simulations of heavy nuclei
propagation within recent Galactic magnetic field models. While such models are
not yet sufficiently constrained to predict deflection maps in detail, we find
general features of the distribution of (de-) magnified flux from sources.
Since in most theoretical models sources of heavy nuclei are located in the
local large scale structure of galaxies, we show examples of images of several
nearby galaxy clusters and of the supergalactic plane. Such general features
may be useful to develop efficient methods for source reconstruction from
observed ultrahigh energy cosmic ray arrival directions.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures. Published in JCA
Super-GZK Photons from Photon-Axion Mixing
We show that photons with energies above the GZK cutoff can reach us from
very distant sources if they mix with light axions in extragalactic magnetic
fields. The effect which enables this is the conversion of photons into axions,
which are sufficiently weakly coupled to travel large distances unimpeded.
These axions then convert back into high energy photons close to the Earth. We
show that photon-axion mixing facilitates the survival of super-GZK photons
most efficiently with a photon-axion coupling scale of order 10^11 GeV, which
is in the same range as the scale for the photon-axion mixing explanation for
the dimming of supernovae without cosmic acceleration. We discuss possible
observational consequences of this effect.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures. Published versio
Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Ray production in the polar cap regions of black hole magnetospheres
We develop a model of ultra-high energy cosmic ray (UHECR) production via
acceleration in a rotation-induced electric field in vacuum gaps in the
magnetospheres of supermassive black holes (BH). We show that if the poloidal
magnetic field near the BH horizon is misaligned with the BH rotation axis,
charged particles, which initially spiral into the BH hole along the equatorial
plane, penetrate into the regions above the BH "polar caps" and are ejected
with high energies to infinity. We show that in such a model acceleration of
protons near a BH of typical mass 3e8 solar masses is possible only if the
magnetic field is almost aligned with the BH rotation axis. We find that the
power of anisotropic electromagnetic emission from an UHECR source near a
supermassive BH should be at least 10-100 times larger then UHECR power of the
source. This implies that if the number of UHECR sources within the 100 Mpc
sphere is ~100, the power of electromagnetic emission which accompanies proton
acceleration in each source, erg/s, is comparable to the typical
luminosities of active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the local Universe. We also
explore the acceleration of heavy nuclei, for which the constraints on the
electromagnetic luminosity and on the alignment of magnetic field in the gap
are relaxed
Strong interactions in air showers
We study the role new gauge interactions in extensions of the standard model
play in air showers initiated by ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays. Hadron-hadron
events remain dominated by quantum chromodynamics, while projectiles and/or
targets from beyond the standard model permit us to see qualitative differences
arising due to the new interactions.Comment: 35 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in JCA
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