Anisotropy Of TeV Cosmic Rays Research Articles

Two Numerical Methods for the 3D Anisotropic Propagation of Galactic Cosmic Rays

Abstract Conventional cosmic-ray propagation models usually assume an isotropic diffusion coefficient to account for the random deflection of cosmic rays by the turbulent interstellar magnetic field. Such models very successfully explain many observational phenomena related to the propagation of Galactic cosmic rays, such as broken power-law energy spectra, secondary-to-primary ratios, etc. However, the isotropic diffusion presupposition is facing severe challenges from recent observations. In particular, such observations on the large-scale anisotropy of TeV cosmic rays show that the dipole direction differs from the prediction of the conventional model. One possible reason is that the large-scale regular magnetic field, which leads to an anisotropic diffusion of cosmic rays, has not been included in the model provided by the public numerical packages. In this work, we propose two numerical schemes to solve the three-dimensional anisotropic transport equation: the pseudo-source method and Hundsdorfer–Verwer scheme. Both methods are verified by reproducing the measured B/C and proton spectrum and the radial variation of spectral index expected by former 2D simulation. As a demonstration of the prediction capability, dipole anisotropy is also calculated by a toy simulation with a rough magnetic field.

The Original Anisotropy of TeV Cosmic Rays in the Local Interstellar Medium

Abstract This paper presents the original anisotropy that TeV cosmic rays (CRs) have in the local interstellar medium. This anisotropy is obtained using a method of flux mapping with the Liouville theorem and a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) heliosphere model of the electromagnetic field to remove the particle propagation effects hidden in the measurements made by the Tibet ASγ experiment at Earth. The original interstellar anisotropy turns out to be almost a pure dipole, which results from a diffusion flow of CRs escaping along the local interstellar magnetic field into the northern Galactic halo. The observed anisotropy maps at Earth appear quite complex because the heliosphere distorts the dipole anisotropy, generating a significant amount of high-order multipoles, while interstellar magnetic field fluctuations contribute to some weak anisotropy on small angular scales. It is found that the density gradient of these CRs points approximately toward Vela in the Local Bubble, providing experimental evidence to show that the local supernova is making a special contribution to the TeV CRs we see at Earth. This special contribution will keep growing in the future tens of thousand years. The original anisotropy also reveals that the CRs spread from the source primarily along the interstellar magnetic field, while experiencing a nearly isotropic pitch-angle scattering process caused by interstellar turbulence.

Observation of Anisotropy of TeV Cosmic Rays with Two Years of HAWC

Abstract After two years of operation, the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Observatory has analyzed the TeV cosmic-ray sky over an energy range between 2.0 and 72.8 TeV. Like other detectors in the northern and southern hemispheres, HAWC observes an energy-dependent anisotropy in the arrival direction distribution of cosmic rays. This anisotropy is dominated by a dipole moment with phase in R.A. α ≈ 40° and amplitude that slowly rises in relative intensity from 8 × 10−4 at 2 TeV to 14 × 10−4 around 30 TeV, above which the dipole decreases in strength. A significant large-scale (>60° in angular extent) signal is also observed in the quadrupole and octupole moments, and significant small-scale features are also present, with locations and shapes consistent with previous observations. Compared to previous measurements in this energy range, the HAWC cosmic-ray sky maps improve on the energy resolution and fit precision of the anisotropy. These data can be used in an effort to better constrain local cosmic-ray accelerators and the intervening magnetic fields.

TeV Cosmic-Ray Anisotropy from the Magnetic Field at the Heliospheric Boundary

Abstract We performed numerical calculations to test the suggestion by Desiati and Lazarian that the anisotropies of TeV cosmic rays may arise from their interactions with the heliosphere. For this purpose, we used a magnetic field model of the heliosphere and performed direct numerical calculations of particle trajectories. Unlike earlier papers testing the idea, we did not employ time-reversible techniques that are based on Liouville’s theorem. We showed numerically that for scattering by the heliosphere, the conditions of Liouville’s theorem are not satisfied, and the adiabatic approximation and time-reversibility of the particle trajectories are not valid. Our results indicate sensitivity to the magnetic structure of the heliospheric magnetic field, and we expect that this will be useful for probing this structure in future research.

The Heliosphere as Seen in TeV Cosmic Rays

Measurements from several cosmic-ray air shower experiments reveal that the anisotropy of TeV cosmic-ray flux does not agree with a dipole pattern commonly expected from the Compton-Getting effect or from the diffusion of cosmic rays in Galactic magnetic fields. TeV cosmic-ray anisotropy maps often show fine features, some of which are slightly time-dependent. Because the size of the heliosphere is larger than the gyroradius of TeV cosmic rays in the interstellar magnetic field, the electric and magnetic fields of the heliosphere may distort the pattern of cosmic-ray anisotropy that one would see in the local interstellar medium without the presence of the heliosphere. We have developed a method of mapping cosmic-ray anisotropy using Liouville's theorem. In this paper, we show how to use cosmic-ray anisotropy features to determine the direction of the local interstellar magnetic field, the hydrogen deflection plane, the size and shape of the heliotail, and the geometry of the heliosphere bow wave.

EXPLAINING TEV COSMIC-RAY ANISOTROPIES WITH NON-DIFFUSIVE COSMIC-RAY PROPAGATION

ABSTRACT Constraining the behavior of cosmic ray data observed at Earth requires a precise understanding of how the cosmic rays propagate in the interstellar medium. The interstellar medium is not homogeneous; although turbulent magnetic fields dominate over large scales, small coherent regions of magnetic field exist on scales relevant to particle propagation in the nearby Galaxy. Guided propagation through a coherent field is significantly different from random particle diffusion and could be the explanation of spatial anisotropies in the observed cosmic rays. We present a Monte Carlo code to propagate cosmic particle through realistic magnetic field structures. We discuss the details of the model as well as some preliminary studies which indicate that coherent magnetic structures are important effects in local cosmic-ray propagation, increasing the flux of cosmic rays by over two orders of magnitude at anisotropic locations on the sky. The features induced by coherent magnetic structure could be the cause of the observed TeV cosmic-ray anisotropy.

TeV Cosmic Ray Anisotropy and the Heliospheric Magnetic Field

Abstract. Cosmic rays are observed to possess a small non uniform distribution in arrival direction. Such anisotropy appears to have a roughly consistent topology between tens of GeV and hundreds of TeV, with a smooth energy dependency on phase and amplitude. Above a few hundreds of TeV a sudden change in the topology of the anisotropy is observed. The distribution of cosmic ray sources in the Milky Way is expected to inject anisotropy on the cosmic ray flux. The nearest and most recent sources, in particular, are expected to contribute more significantly than others. Moreover the interstellar medium is expected to have different characteristics throughout the Galaxy, with different turbulent properties and injection scales. Propagation effects in the interstellar magnetic field can shape the cosmic ray particle distribution as well. In particular, in the 1–10 TeV energy range, they have a gyroradius comparable to the size of the Heliosphere, assuming a typical interstellar magnetic field strength of 3 μG. Therefore they are expected to be strongly affected by the Heliosphere in a manner ordered by the direction of the local interstellar magnetic field and of the heliotail. In this paper we discuss on the possibility that TeV cosmic rays arrival distribution might be significantly redistributed as they propagate through the Heliosphere.

HELIOSPHERIC INFLUENCE ON THE ANISOTROPY OF TeV COSMIC RAYS

This paper provides a theory of using Liouville's theorem to map the anisotropy of TeV cosmic rays seen at Earth using the particle distribution function in the local interstellar medium (LISM). The ultimate source of cosmic ray anisotropy is the energy, pitch angle, and spatial dependence of the cosmic ray distribution function in the LISM. Because young nearby cosmic ray sources can make a special contribution to the cosmic ray anisotropy, the anisotropy depends on the source age, distance and magnetic connection, and particle diffusion of these cosmic rays, all of which make the anisotropy sensitive to the particle energy. When mapped through the magnetic and electric field of a magnetohydrodynamic model heliosphere, the large-scale dipolar and bidirectional interstellar anisotropy patterns become distorted if they are seen from Earth, resulting in many small structures in the observations. Best fits to cosmic ray anisotropy measurements have allowed us to estimate the particle density gradient and pitch angle anisotropies in the LISM. It is found that the heliotail, hydrogen deflection plane, and the plane perpendicular to the LISM magnetic field play a special role in distorting cosmic ray anisotropy. These features can lead to an accurate determination of the LISM magnetic field direction and polarity. The effects of solar cycle variation, the Sun's coronal magnetic field, and turbulence in the LISM and heliospheric magnetic fields are minor but clearly visible at a level roughly equal to a fraction of the overall anisotropy amplitude. The heliospheric influence becomes stronger at lower energies. Below 1 TeV, the anisotropy is dominated by small-scale patterns produced by disturbances in the heliosphere.

Multi-scale TeV cosmic-ray anisotropy observed with the ARGO-YBJ experiment

The distribution of the cosmic-ray arrival direction provides essential information about the source distribution, the propagation medium and the diffusive process that primaries undergo. To the current knowledge of the local interstellar medium, cosmic rays in the rigidity range 1012 – 1013 V are re-accelerated within few hundreds of astronomic units, what makes the TeV anisotropy an important probe to investigate the outer space until that horizon. We report the observation of anisotropy in the TeV cosmic-ray arrival direction measured with the ARGO-YBJ experiment, at angular scales in the range 10° – 180° and with intensity 10−-4 – 10−-3. Findings of other experiments are confirmed and new details on the cosmic-ray distribution in the declination range −10° – 70° are given.

Anisotropy of TeV and PeV cosmic rays with IceCube and IceTop

The interaction of high energy cosmic rays with the Earth's atmosphere produces extensive air showers of secondary particles with a large muon component. By exploiting the sensitivity of neutrino telescopes to high energy muons, it is possible to use these detectors for precision cosmic ray studies. The high rate of cosmic-ray muon events provides a high-statistics data sample that can be used to look for anisotropy in the arrival directions of the parent particles at the per-mille level. This paper will report on the observation of anisotropy in the cosmic ray data collected with the IceCube neutrino telescope in the 20-400 TeV energy range at multiple angular scales. New data from the IceTop air shower array, located on the ice surface above IceCube, shows an anisotropy that is consistent with the high-energy IceCube results. The sensitivity of IceTop to all the components of the extensive air shower will allow us to explore in more detail the characteristics of the primary cosmic rays associated with the observed anisotropy.

Cosmic rays and stochastic magnetic reconnection in the heliotail

Abstract. Galactic cosmic rays are believed to be generated by diffusive shock acceleration processes in Supernova Remnants, and the arrival direction is likely determined by the distribution of their sources throughout the Galaxy, in particular by the nearest and youngest ones. Transport to Earth through the interstellar medium is expected to affect the cosmic ray properties as well. However, the observed anisotropy of TeV cosmic rays and its energy dependence cannot be explained with diffusion models of particle propagation in the Galaxy. Within a distance of a few parsec, diffusion regime is not valid and particles with energy below about 100 TeV must be influenced by the heliosphere and its elongated tail. The observation of a highly significant localized excess region of cosmic rays from the apparent direction of the downstream interstellar flow at 1–10 TeV energies might provide the first experimental evidence that the heliotail can affect the transport of energetic particles. In particular, TeV cosmic rays propagating through the heliotail interact with the 100–300 AU wide magnetic field polarity domains generated by the 11 yr cycles. Since the strength of non-linear convective processes is expected to be larger than viscous damping, the plasma in the heliotail is turbulent. Where magnetic field domains converge on each other due to solar wind gradient, stochastic magnetic reconnection likely occurs. Such processes may be efficient enough to re-accelerate a fraction of TeV particles as long as scattering processes are not strong. Therefore, the fractional excess of TeV cosmic rays from the narrow region toward the heliotail direction traces sightlines with the lowest smearing scattering effects, that can also explain the observation of a harder than average energy spectrum.

10-100 TeV cosmic ray anisotropy measured at the Baksan EAS “Carpet” array

Preliminary results of one year anisotropy measurement in the energy range 10^{13} -10^{14} eV as a function of energy are presented. The results are compared for two methods of data analysis: the standard one with meteo correction approach in use and another one so-called East minus West method. Amplitudes and phases of anisotropy for three median energies E = 25 TeV, E = 75 TeV and E = 120 TeV are reported. Brief consideration of amplitude-phase dependence of anisotropy on energy is expounded.

Measurement of 10–100 TeV cosmic ray anisotropy at upgraded Carpet-2 installation

The first results obtained during one year of measurements at the upgraded shower Carpet-2 installation at the Baksan Neutrino Observatory of the Institute for Nuclear Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, are presented. The results of calculation of the energy response of the installation are given. The results of data analysis using the standard method and the East-West method are compared. The constraints on amplitudes of harmonics of solar anisotropy for three values of primary energy: E > 12 TeV, E > 40 TeV, and E > 70 TeV, are obtained.

A northern sky survey for both TeV cosmic-ray anisotropy and TeV γ-ray sources using the Tibet air shower array

Results on 2-dimensional TeV cosmic ray anisotropy and γ -ray point source search using data taken from Tibet-HD (Feb.1997-Sep.1999) and Tibet-III (Nov.1999-Oct.2001) arrays are presented. From 0° to 60° in declination, large scale anisotropy of cosmic-ray intensity at a magnitude of about 0.1% is observed. In the mean while, the well-known steady source Crab Nebula and the high state of the flare type source Mrk421 are detected.