Positrons and Antiprotons in Galactic Cosmic Rays

Abstract

I consider the impact of recent measurements of positron and antiproton spectra in cosmic rays on our understanding of the origins and propagation of cosmic rays, as well as on the annihilation and decay characteristics of particles of Galactic dark matter, from the perspective of current models postulating energy-dependent leakage of cosmic rays from the Galaxy and of the nested leaky-box model, in which the leakage from the Galaxy is independent of energy. The nested leaky-box model provides a straightforward and consistent explanation of the observed spectral intensities, and finds no compelling need for a contribution from the annihilation or decay of Galactic dark matter. Improved observations and modeling efforts are needed to probe the properties of dark matter deeply enough to be significant to particle physics and cosmology.