708 research outputs found
Comment on ``Cosmological Gamma Ray Bursts and the Highest Energy Cosmic Rays''
In a letter with the above title, published some time ago in PRL, Waxman made
the interesting suggestion that cosmological gamma ray bursts (GRBs) are the
source of the ultra high energy cosmic rays (UHECR). This has also been
proposed independently by Milgrom and Usov and by Vietri. However, recent
observations of GRBs and their afterglows and in particular recent data from
the Akeno Great Air Shwoer Array (AGASA) on UHECR rule out extragalactic GRBs
as the source of UHECR.Comment: Comment on a letter with the above title published by E. Waxman in
PRL 75, 386 (1995). Submitted for publication in PRL/Comment
Molecular hydrogen in the galaxy and galactic gamma rays
Recent surveys of 2.6 mm CO emission and 100 MeV gamma-radiation in the galactic plane reveal a striking correlation suggesting that both emissions may be primarily proportional to the line-of-sight column density of H2 in the inner galaxy. Both the gamma ray and CO data suggest a prominent ring or arm consisting of cool clouds of H2 at a galactocentric distance of approximately 5 kpc with a mean density of approximately 4 atoms/cu cm. The importance of H2 in understanding galactic gamma ray observations is also reflected in the correlation of galactic latitude distribution of gamma rays and dense dust clouds. A detailed calculation of the gamma ray flux distribution in the 0 deg to 180 deg range using the CO data to obtain the average distribution of molecular clouds in the galaxy shows that most of the enhancement in the inner galaxy is due to pion-decay radiation and the 5 kpc ring plays a major role. Detailed agreement with the gamma ray data is obtained with the additional inclusion of contributions from bremsstrahlung and Compton radiation of secondary electrons and Compton radiation from the intense radiation field near the galactic center
How many radio-loud quasars can be detected by the Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope?
In the unification scheme, radio quasars and FR II radio galaxies come from
the same parent population, but viewed at different angles. Based on the
Comptonization models for the gamma-ray emission from active galactic nuclei
(AGNs), we estimate the number of radio quasars and FR II radio galaxies to be
detected by the Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) using the
luminosity function (LF) of their parent population derived from the
flat-spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ) LF. We find that ~1200 radio quasars will be
detected by GLAST, if the soft seed photons for Comptonization come from the
regions outside the jets. We also consider the synchrotron self-Comptonization
(SSC) model, and find it unlikely to be responsible for gamma-ray emission from
radio quasars. We find that no FR II radio galaxies will be detected by GLAST.
Our results show that most radio AGNs to be detected by GLAST will be FSRQs
(~99 % for the external Comptonization model, EC model), while the remainder
(~1 %) will be steep-spectrum radio quasars (SSRQs). This implies that FSRQs
will still be good candidates for identifying gamma-ray AGNs even for the GLAST
sources. The contribution of all radio quasars and FR II radio galaxies to the
extragalactic gamma-ray background (EGRB) is calculated, which accounts for ~30
% of the EGRB.Comment: 4 pages, accepted by ApJ Letter
The Curious Adventure of the Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays
These lectures discuss the mysteries involving the production and
extragalactic propagation of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays and suggested
possible solutions.Comment: Lectures given at the D. Chalonge Euroschool, Erice, Italy, November
2000, 25 pages, 7 ps figs., expanded revision with color fig.
SimProp: a Simulation Code for Ultra High Energy Cosmic Ray Propagation
A new Monte Carlo simulation code for the propagation of Ultra High Energy
Cosmic Rays is presented. The results of this simulation scheme are tested by
comparison with results of another Monte Carlo computation as well as with the
results obtained by directly solving the kinetic equation for the propagation
of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays. A short comparison with the latest flux
published by the Pierre Auger collaboration is also presented.Comment: 19 pages, 12 eps figures, version accepted for publication in JCA
High Energy Neutrinos from Quasars
We review and clarify the assumptions of our basic model for neutrino
production in the cores of quasars, as well as those modifications to the model
subsequently made by other workers. We also present a revised estimate of the
neutrino background flux and spectrum obtained using more recent empirical
studies of quasars and their evolution. We compare our results with other
thoeretical calculations and experimental upper limits on the AGN neutrino
background flux. We also estimate possible neutrino fluxes from the jets of
blazars detected recently by the EGRET experiment on the Compton Gamma Ray
Observatory. We discuss the theoretical implications of these estimates.Comment: 14 pg., ps file (includes figures), To be published in Space Science
Review
An Empirically Based Calculation of the Extragalactic Infrared Background
Using the excellent observed correlations among various infrared wavebands
with 12 and 60 micron luminosities, we calculate the 2-300 micron spectra of
galaxies as a function of luminosity. We then use 12 micron and 60 micron
galaxy luminosity functions derived from IRAS data, together with recent data
on the redshift evolution of galaxy emissivity, to derive a new, empirically
based IR background spectrum from stellar and dust emission in galaxies. Our
best estimate for the IR background is of order 2-3 nW/m^2/sr with a peak
around 200 microns reaching 6-8 nW/m^2/sr. Our empirically derived background
spectrum is fairly flat in the mid-IR, as opposed to spectra based on modeling
with discrete temperatures which exhibit a "valley" in the mid-IR. We also
derive a conservative lower limit to the IR background which is more than a
factor of 2 lower than our derived flux.Comment: 14 pages AASTeX, 2 .ps figures, the Astrophysical Journal, in pres
On the Origin of the Highest Energy Cosmic Rays
We present the results of a new estimation of the photodisintegration and
propagation of ultrahigh energy cosmic ray (UHCR) nuclei in intergalactic
space. The critical interactions for photodisintegration and energy loss of
UHCR nuclei occur with photons of the infrared background radiation (IBR). We
have reexamined this problem making use of a new determination of the IBR based
on empirical data, primarily from IRAS galaxies, and also collateral
information from TeV gamma-ray observations of two nearby BL Lac objects. Our
results indicate that a 200 EeV Fe nucleus can propagate apx. 100 Mpc through
the IBR. We argue that it is possible that the highest energy cosmic rays
observed may be heavy nuclei.Comment: 2 pages revtex with one figure, submitted to Physical Review Letter
Gamma-ray signatures of annihilation to charged leptons in dark matter substructure
Due to their higher concentrations and small internal velocities, Milky Way
subhalos can be at least as important as the smooth halo in accounting for the
GeV positron excess via dark matter annihilation. After showing how this can be
achieved in various scenarios, including in Sommerfeld models, we demonstrate
that, in this case, the diffuse inverse-Compton emission resulting from
electrons and positrons produced in substructure leads to a nearly-isotropic
signal close to the level of the isotropic GeV gamma-ray background seen by
Fermi. Moreover, we show that HESS cosmic-ray electron measurements can be used
to constrain multi-TeV internal bremsstrahlung gamma rays arising from
annihilation to charged leptons.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures; minor updates to match published versio
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