Contribution of supernova remnants to the cosmic-ray electron AMS-02 data

Abstract

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) experiment on board of the International Space Station is revolutionizing our understanding of cosmic rays. AMS-02 Collaboration has released the most precise data for several cosmic-ray species ever. Electrons are among the rarest cosmic particles and have been measured between 0.5 and 1000 GeV by AMS-02 with very high precision. This paper explores the possibility that the origin of cosmic-ray electrons is associated with the acceleration of particles from supernova remnants. In this paper we calculate the flux of cosmic electrons from two nearby and radio bright sources in our Galaxies: Vela and Cygnus supernova remnants. We concluded that they contribute at the few percent level at 1 TeV. Finally, we calculate the flux of other bright sources taken from radio catalog of supernova remnants, finding that their cumulative contribution is about 10% at 1 TeV. Further exploration of the AMS-02 data could lead to the conclusion that supernova remnants are among the important accelerators of cosmic-ray electrons in the galaxy.