174 research outputs found
Co/Ni element ratio in the galactic cosmic rays between 0.8 and 4.3 GeV/nucleon
In a one-day balloon flight of the Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder (TIGER) in 1997, the instrument achieved excellent charge resolution for elements near the Fe peak, permitting a new measurement of the element ratio Co/Ni. The best fit to the data, extrapolated to the top of the atmosphere, gives an upper limit for this ratio of 0.093±0.037 over the energy interval 0.8 to 4.3 GeV/nucleon; because a Co peak is not seen in the data, this result is given as an upper limit. Comparing this upper limit with calculations by Webber & Gupta suggests that at the source of these cosmic rays a substantial amount of the electron-capture isotope 59Ni survived. This conclusion is in conflict with the clear evidence from ACE/CRIS below 0.5 GeV/nucleon that there is negligible 59Ni surviving at the source. Possible explanations for this apparent discrepancy are discussed
A measurement of cosmic ray deuterium from 0.5â2.9 GeV/nucleon
The rare isotopes ^(2)H and ^(3)He in cosmic rays are believed to originate mainly from the interaction of high energy protons and helium with the galactic interstellar medium. The unique propagation history of these rare isotopes provides important constraints on galactic cosmic ray source spectra and on models for their propagation within the Galaxy. Hydrogen and helium isotopes were measured with the balloon-borne experiment, IMAX, which flew from Lynn Lake, Manitoba in 1992. The energy spectrum of deuterium between 0.5 and 3.2 GeV/nucleon measured by the IMAX experiment as well as previously published results of ^(3)He from the same instrument will be compared with predictions of cosmic ray galactic propagation models. The observed composition of the light isotopes is found to be generally consistent with the predictions of the standard Leaky Box Model derived to fit observations of heavier nucle
Large Isotope Spectrometer for Astromag
The Large Isotope Spectrometer for Astromag (LISA) is an experiment designed to measure the isotopic composition and energy spectra of cosmic rays for elements extending from beryllum through zinc. The overall objectives of this investigation are to study the origin and evolution of galactic matter; the acceleration, transport, and time scales of comsic rays in the galaxy; and search for heavy antinuclei in the cosmic radiation.
To achieve these objectives the LISA experiment will make the first identifications of individual heavy cosmic ray isotopes in the energy range from about 2.5 to 4 GeV/n where relativistic time dilation effects enhance the abundances of radioactive clocks and where the effects of solar modulation and crossâsection variations are minimized. It will extend high resolution measurements of individual element abundances and their energy spectra to energies of nearly 1 TeV/n, and has the potential for discovering heavy antiânuclei which could not have been formed except in extraâgalactic sources
Measurement of 0.25-3.2 GeV antiprotons in the cosmic radiation
The balloon-borne Isotope Matter-Antimatter Experiment (IMAX) was flown from Lynn Lake, Manitoba, Canada on 16â17 July 1992. Using velocity and magnetic rigidity to determine mass, we have directly measured the abundances of cosmic ray antiprotons and protons in the energy range from 0.25 to 3.2 GeV. Both the absolute flux of antiprotons and the antiproton/proton ratio are consistent with recent theoretical work in which antiprotons are produced as secondary products of cosmic ray interactions with the interstellar medium. This consistency implies a lower limit to the antiproton lifetime of âŒ10 to the 7th yr
Search for Cosmic-Ray Antideuterons
We performed a search for cosmic-ray antideuterons using data collected
during four BESS balloon flights from 1997 to 2000. No candidate was found. We
derived, for the first time, an upper limit of 1.9E-4 (m^2 s sr
GeV/nucleon)^(-1) for the differential flux of cosmic-ray antideuterons, at the
95% confidence level, between 0.17 and 1.15 GeV/nucleon at the top of the
atmosphere.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
POEMMA: Probe Of Extreme Multi-Messenger Astrophysics
The Probe Of Extreme Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (POEMMA) mission is being
designed to establish charged-particle astronomy with ultra-high energy cosmic
rays (UHECRs) and to observe cosmogenic tau neutrinos (CTNs). The study of
UHECRs and CTNs from space will yield orders-of-magnitude increase in
statistics of observed UHECRs at the highest energies, and the observation of
the cosmogenic flux of neutrinos for a range of UHECR models. These
observations should solve the long-standing puzzle of the origin of the highest
energy particles ever observed, providing a new window onto the most energetic
environments and events in the Universe, while studying particle interactions
well beyond accelerator energies. The discovery of CTNs will help solve the
puzzle of the origin of UHECRs and begin a new field of Astroparticle Physics
with the study of neutrino properties at ultra-high energies.Comment: 8 pages, in the Proceedings of the 35th International Cosmic Ray
Conference, ICRC217, Busan, Kore
Approaching the knee -- balloon-borne observations of cosmic ray composition
Below the knee in the cosmic ray spectrum, balloon and spacecraft experiments
offer the capability of direct composition and energy measurements on the
primary particles. A major difficulty is obtaining enough exposure to extend
the range of direct measurements sufficiently high in energy to permit overlap
with ground-based observations. Presently, balloon and space measurements
extend only up to ~100 TeV, well below the range of ground-based experiments.
The prospect of Ultra-Long Duration Balloon missions offers the promise of
multiple long flights that can build up exposure. The status of balloon
measurements to measure the high energy proton and nuclear composition and
spectrum is reviewed, and the statistical considerations involved in searching
for a steepening in the spectrum are discussed. Given the very steeply falling
spectrum, it appears unlikely that balloon experiments will be able to extend
the range of direct measurements beyond 1000 TeV any time in the near future.
Especially given the recent suggestions from KASCADE that the proton spectrum
steepens only at 4000-5000 TeV, the chance of detecting the knee with direct
measurements of protons to iron on balloons is not likely to occur without
significant increases in the payload and flight duration capabilities of high
altitude balloons.Comment: 10 pages, to be published, J. Phys. Conf. Ser. (Proc. Workshop on
Physics at the End of the Galactic Cosmic Ray Spectrum, Aspen, April 2005
The Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder (TIGER): A Balloon-borne Cosmic-Ray Experiment
TIGER is a balloon-borne cosmic-ray experiment designed to measure the elemental abundances of Galactic
Cosmic Rays (GCRs) in the charge range 26<Z<40 with better than 0.25 charge unit( cu) resolution. The
experiment consists of a combination of plastic scintillators, plastic and aerogel Cherenkov detectors, and scintillating
fiber hodoscopes. TIGER was flown from Fort Sumner, NM aboard a high-altitude balloon on September
24, 1997 at geomagnetic cutoffs between 4.2GV and 3.2GV, and atmospheric depths between 3g/cm^2 and 6g/cm^2. The 23.5-hour balloon flight provided a statistically significant sample of GCR nuclei up through Ni and achieved charge resolution capable of resolving Co from the much more abundant Fe
The Cosmic Ray ^3He/^4He Ratio from 200 MeV per Nucleon^(-1) to 3.7 GeV per Nucleon^(-1)
The abundances of cosmic-ray helium isotopes between 0.2 and 3.7 GeV nucleon^(-1) were measured by
the Isotope Matter Antimatter Experiment (IMAX) during a flight from Lynn Lake, Manitoba, Canada
on 1992 July 16-17. The IMAX balloon-borne magnetic spectrometer realized a direct measurement of
the charge, the velocity, and the rigidity of cosmic rays using plastic scintillators, a high-resolution time-of-flight system, and two silica-aerogel Cerenkov counters in conjunction with a drift chamber/multiwire proportional chamber tracking system. About 75,000 helium isotopes are identified by their mass using the velocity versus magnetic rigidity technique. The measured ^3He/^4He ratios are corrected to the top of the atmosphere, and a comparison with previous data is given. The observed isotopic composition is found to be generally consistent with the predictions of a standard leaky box model of cosmic-ray transport in the Galaxy
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