Gamma-ray bursts and magnetars as possible sources of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays: Correlation of cosmic ray event positions with IRAS galaxies

Abstract

We use the two-dimensional Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test to study the correlation between the 60 cosmic ray events above $4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{19}\mathrm{eV}$ from the Akeno Giant Air Shower Array (AGASA) experiment and the positions of infrared luminous galaxies from the IRAS Point Source Catalog. These galaxies are expected to be hosts to gamma ray bursts (GRB's) and magnetars, both of which are associated with core collapse supernovae and have been proposed as possible acceleration sites for ultrahigh energy cosmic rays. We find consistency between the models and the AGASA events to have been drawn from the same underlying distribution of positions on the sky with KS probabilities \ensuremath{\gtrsim}50%. Application of the same test to the 11 highest AGASA events above ${10}^{20}\mathrm{eV},$ however, yields a KS probability of 0.5%, rejecting the models at 99.5% significance level. Taken at face value, these highest energy results suggest that the existing cosmic ray events above ${10}^{20}\mathrm{eV}$ do not owe their origin to long burst GRB's, rapidly rotating magnetars, or any other events associated with core collapse supernovae. The larger data set expected from the AUGER experiment will test whether this conclusion is real or is a statistical fluke that we estimate to be at the 2\ensuremath{\sigma} level.