Abundances and spectra for cosmic-ray nuclei from lithium to iron for 2 to 150 GeV per nucleon

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (90) References (54) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Abundances and spectra for cosmic-ray nuclei from lithium to iron for 2 to 150 GeV per nucleon. Orth, C. D. ; Buffington, A. ; Smoot, G. F. ; Mast, T. S. Abstract Measurements of primary cosmic-ray composition and energy spectra made with a balloon-borne superconducting magnetic spectrometer are described. Results for both 6.7 g/sq cm equivalent vertical atmospheric depth and the top of the atmosphere are presented for the absolute and relative integral abundances, the differential energy spectra, and the spectral indices for cosmic-ray nuclei from Li to Fe and energies of 2 to 50 GeV/n. It is found that propagation effects can explain essentially all the elemental abundances, that the abundances of Li, Be, and B for rigidities below 10 GV/c are consistent with an energy-independent mean interstellar path length of 4.5 + or - 0.5 g/sq cm for the 'leaky box' propagation model, that the abundances of all elements above 10 GV/c are consistent with a path length that decreases as the inverse n-th power of rigidity, and that n equals 0.6 (+0.4, -0.3) for the simplest assumptions made in fitting the source spectra. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: December 1978 DOI: 10.1086/156692 Bibcode: 1978ApJ...226.1147O Keywords: Abundance; Energy Spectra; Particle Energy; Primary Cosmic Rays; Astronomical Models; Balloon-Borne Instruments; Data Reduction; Electric Charge; Instrument Errors; Propagation; Superconducting Magnets; Space Radiation; Cosmic Rays:Element Abundances full text sources ADS |