Potential for Constraining Propagation Parameters of Galactic Cosmic Rays with the High Energy Cosmic-radiation Detection Facility on Board China’s Space Station

Abstract

Precise measurements of the spectra of secondary and primary cosmic rays are crucial for understanding the origin and propagation of those energetic particles. The High Energy Cosmic-radiation Detection (HERD) facility on board China’s Space Station, which is expected to operate in 2027, will push the direct and precise measurements of cosmic-ray fluxes up to PeV energies. In this work, we investigate the potential of HERD for studying the propagation of cosmic rays using measurements of boron, carbon, and oxygen spectra. We find that, compared with the current results, the new HERD measurements can improve the accuracy of the propagation parameters by 8%–40%. The constraints on the injection spectra at high energies will also be improved.