597 research outputs found
Numerical Modeling in Safe and Cost-effective Mine Design, Stability Assessment and Support Dimensioning
Evidence for a new light spin-zero boson from cosmological gamma-ray propagation?
Recent findings by Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes indicate a large
transparency of the Universe to gamma rays, which can be hardly explained
within the current models of extragalactic background light. We show that the
observed transparency is naturally produced by an oscillation mechanism --
which can occur inside intergalactic magnetic fields -- whereby a photon can
become a new spin-zero boson with mass m << 10^(-10) eV. Because the latter
particle travels unimpeded throughout the Universe, photons can reach the
observer even if the distance from the source considerably exceeds their mean
free path. We compute the expected flux of gamma rays from blazar 3C279 at
different energies. Our predictions can be tested in the near future by the
gamma-ray telescopes H.E.S.S., MAGIC, CANGAROO and VERITAS. Moreover, our
result provides an important observational test for models of dark energy
wherein quintessence is coupled to the photon through an effective
dimension-five operator.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur
Statistics of clustering of ultra-high energy cosmic rays and the number of their sources
Observation of clustering of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECR) suggests
that they are emitted by compact sources. Assuming small deflection of UHECR
during the propagation, the statistical analysis of clustering allows to
estimate the spatial density of the sources, h, including those which have not
yet been observed directly. When applied to astrophysical models involving
extra-galactic sources, the estimate based on 14 events with energy E>10^{20}
eV gives h ~ 6 X 10^{-3} Mps^{-3}. With increasing statistics, this estimate
may lead to exclusion of the models which associate the production of UHECR
with exceptional galaxies such as AGN, powerful radio-galaxies, dead quasars,
and models based on gamma ray bursts.Comment: The version accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Lett. Notations
changed to conventional ones. The estimate of the effective GZK radius
replaced by the result of numerical simulatio
Energy spectra of proton and nuclei of primary cosmic rays in energy region 10 TeV/particle
To investigate the chemical composition of primary cosmic rays, several emulsion chambers were exposed at a 10.8 g/sq cm. depth in the stratosphere. Each chamber has the area of 0.92x0.46 sq m. and the depth of 14 c.u. The exposure time of chambers processed by now is 260 hours. The detecting layers were X-ray films and nuclear emulsions, which allowed to measure an energy of cascade and a type of primary particle. Results and techniques are described
Towards a model of population of astrophysical sources of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays
We construct and discuss a toy model of the population of numerous
non-identical extragalactic sources of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. In the
model, cosmic-ray particles are accelerated in magnetospheres of supermassive
black holes in galactic nuclei, the key parameter of acceleration being the
black-hole mass. We use astrophysical data on the redshift-dependent black-hole
mass function to describe the population of these cosmic-ray accelerators, from
weak to powerful, and confront the model with cosmic-ray data.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, Revtex 4.
Results of investigation of muon fluxes of superhigh energy cosmic rays with X-ray emulsion chambers
The overall data from the investigation of the cosmic ray muon flux in the range of zenith angles (0-90) deg within the energy range (3.5 to 5.0) TeV is presented. The exposure of large X-ray emulsion chambers underground was 1200 tons. year. The data were processe using the method which was applied in the experiment Pamir and differred from the earlier applied one. The obtained value of a slope power index of the differential energy spectrum of the global muon flux is =3.7 that corresponds to the slope of the pion generation differential spectrum, gamma sub PI = 2.75 + or - .04. The analysis of the muon zenith-angular distribution showed that the contribution of rapid generation muons in the total muon flux agree the best with the value .2% and less with .7% at a 90% reliability level
Crypto-baryonic Dark Matter
It is proposed that dark matter could consist of compressed collections of
atoms (or metallic matter) encapsulated into, for example, 20 cm big pieces of
a different phase. The idea is based on the assumption that there exists at
least one other phase of the vacuum degenerate with the usual one. Apart from
the degeneracy of the phases we only assume Standard Model physics. The other
phase has a Higgs VEV appreciably smaller than in the usual electroweak vacuum.
The balls making up the dark matter are very difficult to observe directly, but
inside dense stars may expand eating up the star and cause huge explosions
(gamma ray bursts). The ratio of dark matter to ordinary baryonic matter is
expressed as a ratio of nuclear binding energies and predicted to be about 5.Comment: 9 pages. Published version with shorter abstract and new referenc
Deflection of ultra high energy cosmic rays by the galactic magnetic field: from the sources to the detector
We report the results of 3D simulations of the trajectories of ultra-high
energy protons and Fe nuclei (with energies and ) propagating through the galactic magnetic field from the
sources to the detector. A uniform distribution of anti-particles is
backtracked from the detector, at the Earth, to the halo of the Galaxy. We
assume an axisymmetric, large scale spiral magnetic field permeating both the
disc and the halo. A normal field component to the galactic plane () is
also included in part of the simulations. We find that the presence of a large
scale galactic magnetic field does not generally affect the arrival directions
of the protons, although the inclusion of a component may cause
significant deflection of the lower energy protons (
eV). Error boxes larger than or equal to are most expected in
this case. On the other hand, in the case of heavy nuclei, the arrival
direction of the particles is strongly dependent on the coordinates of the
particle source. The deflection may be high enough () as to make
extremely difficult any identification of the sources unless the real magnetic
field configuration is accurately determined. Moreover, not every incoming
particle direction is allowed between a given source and the detector. This
generates sky patches which are virtually unobservable from the Earth. In the
particular case of the UHE events of Yakutsk, Fly's Eye, and Akeno, they come
from locations for which the deflection caused by the assumed magnetic field is
not significant.Comment: LaTeX + 2 postscript figures - Color versions of both figures (highly
recommended) available via anonymous ftp at
ftp://capc07.ast.cam.ac.uk/pub/uhecr_gmf as fig*.g
Astrophysical implications of hypothetical stable TeV-scale black holes
We analyze macroscopic effects of TeV-scale black holes, such as could
possibly be produced at the LHC, in what is regarded as an extremely
hypothetical scenario in which they are stable and, if trapped inside Earth,
begin to accrete matter. We examine a wide variety of TeV-scale gravity
scenarios, basing the resulting accretion models on first-principles, basic,
and well-tested physical laws. These scenarios fall into two classes, depending
on whether accretion could have any macroscopic effect on the Earth at times
shorter than the Sun's natural lifetime. We argue that cases with such effect
at shorter times than the solar lifetime are ruled out, since in these
scenarios black holes produced by cosmic rays impinging on much denser white
dwarfs and neutron stars would then catalyze their decay on timescales
incompatible with their known lifetimes. We also comment on relevant lifetimes
for astronomical objects that capture primordial black holes. In short, this
study finds no basis for concerns that TeV-scale black holes from the LHC could
pose a risk to Earth on time scales shorter than the Earth's natural lifetime.
Indeed, conservative arguments based on detailed calculations and the
best-available scientific knowledge, including solid astronomical data,
conclude, from multiple perspectives, that there is no risk of any significance
whatsoever from such black holes.Comment: Version2: Minor corrections/fixed typos; updated reference
Observations of Microwave Continuum Emission from Air Shower Plasmas
We investigate a possible new technique for microwave measurements of
ultra-high energy cosmic ray (UHECR) extensive air showers which relies on
detection of expected continuum radiation in the microwave range, caused by
free-electron collisions with neutrals in the tenuous plasma left after the
passage of the shower. We performed an initial experiment at the AWA (Argonne
Wakefield Accelerator) laboratory in 2003 and measured broadband microwave
emission from air ionized via high energy electrons and photons. A follow-up
experiment at SLAC (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center) in summer of 2004
confirmed the major features of the previous AWA observations with better
precision and made additional measurements relevant to the calorimetric
capabilities of the method. Prompted by these results we built a prototype
detector using satellite television technology, and have made measurements
indicating possible detection of cosmic ray extensive air showers. The method,
if confirmed by experiments now in progress, could provide a high-duty cycle
complement to current nitrogen fluorescence observations of UHECR, which are
limited to dark, clear nights. By contrast, decimeter microwave observations
can be made both night and day, in clear or cloudy weather, or even in the
presence of moderate precipitation.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figure
- …