Cosmic Ray Nuclei Research Articles

Measurements of cosmic-ray proton and helium spectra from the BESS-Polar long-duration balloon flights over Antarctica.

The BESS-Polar Collaboration measured the energy spectra of cosmic-ray protons and helium during two long-duration balloon flights over Antarctica in December 2004 and December 2007, at substantially different levels of solar modulation. Proton and helium spectra probe the origin and propagation history of cosmic rays in the galaxy, and are essential to calculations of the expected spectra of cosmic-ray antiprotons, positrons, and electrons from interactions of primary cosmic-ray nuclei with the interstellar gas, and to calculations of atmospheric muons and neutrinos. We report absolute spectra at the top of the atmosphere for cosmic-ray protons in the kinetic energy range 0.2-160 GeV and helium nuclei 0.15-80 GeV/nucleon. The corresponding magnetic rigidity ranges are 0.6-160 GV for protons and 1.1-160 GV for helium. These spectra are compared to measurements from previous BESS flights and from ATIC-2, PAMELA, and AMS-02. We also report the ratio of the proton and helium fluxes from 1.1 GV to 160 GV and compare to ratios from PAMELA and AMS-02.

Perspective of monochromatic gamma-ray line detection with the High Energy cosmic-Radiation Detection (HERD) facility onboard China’s space station

HERD is the High Energy cosmic-Radiation Detection instrument proposed to operate onboard China’s space station in the 2020s. It is designed to detect energetic cosmic ray nuclei, leptons and photons with a high energy resolution ( ∼1% for electrons and photons and 20% for nuclei) and a large geometry factor (>3 m2 sr for electrons and diffuse photons and > [2]m2 sr for nuclei). In this work we discuss the capability of HERD to detect monochromatic γ-ray lines, based on simulations of the detector performance. It is shown that HERD will be one of the most sensitive instruments for monochromatic γ-ray searches at energies between ∼ 10 to a few hundred GeV. Above hundreds of GeV, Cherenkov telescopes will be more sensitive due to their large effective area. As a specific example, we show that a good portion of the parameter space of a supersymmetric dark matter model can be probed with HERD.

ASIC for calorimetric measurements in the astrophysical experiment NUCLEON

A satellite with the NUCLEON apparatus was launched in Dec. 2014. The space NUCLEON project of ROSCOSMOS is designed to investigate cosmic ray nuclei energy spectra from 100 GeV to 1000 TeV as well as cosmic ray electron spectra from 20 GeV to 3 TeV. The method of energy determination by means of a silicon instrument for measuring the particle charge of cosmic rays and the calorimetric system were developed. The main parameters, that determine the quality of calorimetric systems are linearity of transfer characteristic and the dynamic range of input signals, which should reach 30 000 MIPs (minimum ionizing particles). The ASIC, satisfying these requirements, consisting of 32 channels with a unique dynamic range from 1 to 40000 MIPs, signal to noise ratio not less than 2.5 at a shaper peaking time of 2 μs and a low power consumption of 1.5 mW/channel has been designed. The first results of the ASIC functionality in space are presented.

The GAMMA-400 gamma-ray telescope for precision gamma-ray emission investigations

The GAMMA-400 gamma-ray telescope with excellent angular and energy resolutions is designed to search for signatures of dark matter in the fluxes of gamma-ray emission and electrons + positrons. Precision investigations of gamma-ray emission from Galactic Center, Crab, Vela, Cygnus, Geminga, and other regions will be performed, as well as diffuse gamma-ray emission, along with measurements of high-energy electron + positron and nuclei fluxes. Furthermore, it will study gamma-ray bursts and gamma-ray emission from the Sun during periods of solar activity. The GAMMA-400 energy range is expected to be from ∼20 MeV up to TeV energies for gamma rays, up to 10 TeV for electrons + positrons, and up to 1015 eV for cosmic-ray nuclei. For 100-GeV gamma rays, the GAMMA-400 angular resolution is ∼0.01° and energy resolution is ∼1%; the proton rejection factor is ∼5x105. GAMMA-400 will be installed onboard the Russian space observatory.

Examination of uncertainties in nuclear data for cosmic ray physics with the AMS experiment

High-energy Li-Be-B nuclei in cosmic rays are being measured with unprecedent accuracy by the AMS experiment. These data bring valuable information to the cosmic ray propagation physics. In particular, combined measurements of B/C and Be/B ratios may allow to break the parameter degeneracy between the cosmic-ray diffusion coefficient and the size of the propagation region, which is crucial for dark matter searches. The parameter determination relies in the calculation of the Be and B production from collisions of heavier nuclei with the gas. Using the available cross-section data, I present for the first time an evaluation of the nuclear uncertainties and their impact in constraining the propagation models. I found that the AMS experiment can provide tight constraints on the transport parameters allowing to resolutely break the degeneracy, while nuclear uncertainties in the models are found to be a major limiting factor. Once these uncertainties are accounted, the degeneracy remains poorly resolved. In particular, the Be/B ratio at ~1 - 10 GeV/n is found not to bring valuable information for the parameter extraction. On the other hand, precise Be/B data at higher energy may be useful to test the nuclear physics inputs of the models.

A model of chemical etching of olivine in the vicinity of the trajectory of a swift heavy ion

Searching of superheavy elements, the charge spectra of heavy nuclei in Galactic Cosmic Rays was investigated within the OLYMPIA experiment using the database of etched ion tracks in meteorite olivine. Etching results in the formation of hollow syringe-like channels with diameters of 1–10μm along the trajectories of these swift heavy ions (SHI). According to the activated complex theory, the local chemical activity is determined by an increase of the specific Gibbs energy of the lattice stimulated by structure transformations, long-range elastic fields, and interatomic bonds breaking generated in the vicinity of the ion trajectory. To determine the dependencies of the Gibbs free energy increase in SHI tracks in olivine on the mass, energy and charge of a projectile, we apply a multiscale model of excitation and relaxation of materials in the vicinity of the SHI trajectory (SHI tracks). Effect of spreading of fast electrons from the ion trajectory causing neutralization of metallic atoms resulting in an increase of the chemical activity of olivine at long distances from the ion trajectory (up to 5μm) is estimated and discussed.

Cosmic-ray protons, nuclei, electrons, and antiparticles under a two-halo scenario of diffusive propagation

We report calculations of cosmic-ray proton, nuclei, antiproton, electron and positron energy spectra within a "two-halo model" of diffusive transport. The two halos represent a simple, physically consistent generalization of the standard diffusion models, which assume a unique type of diffusion for cosmic rays in the whole Galactic halo. We believe instead that cosmic rays may experience a smaller energy dependence of diffusion when they are in proximity of the Galactic disk. Our scenario is supported by recent observations of cosmic-ray protons, nuclei, anisotropy, and gamma-rays. We predict remarkably hard antiparticle spectra at high energy. In particular, at E>10 GeV, the antiproton/proton ratio is expected to flatten, while the positron fraction is found to increase with energy. We discuss the implications for cosmic-ray physics and dark matter searches via antimatter.

Anisotropies of ultrahigh energy cosmic ray nuclei diffusing from extragalactic sources

We obtain the dipolar anisotropies in the arrival directions of ultrahigh energy cosmic ray nuclei diffusing from nearby extragalactic sources. We consider mixed-composition scenarios in which different cosmic ray nuclei are accelerated up to the same maximum rigidity, so that $E<Z{E}_{\mathrm{max}}^{p}$, with $Z$ the atomic number and ${E}_{\mathrm{max}}^{p}$ the maximum proton energy. We adopt ${E}_{\mathrm{max}}^{p}\ensuremath{\simeq}6\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{EeV}$ so as to account for an increasingly heavy composition above the ankle. We obtain the anisotropies through Monte Carlo simulations that implement the cosmic ray diffusion in extragalactic turbulent fields as well as the effects of photodisintegrations and other energy losses. Dipolar anisotropies at the level of 5% to 10% at energies $\ensuremath{\sim}10\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{EeV}$ are predicted for plausible values of the source density and magnetic fields.

Searches for superheavy elements in nature: Cosmic-ray nuclei; spontaneous fission

There is little chance that superheavy nuclei with lifetimes of no less than 100 million years are present on the stability island discovered at present. Also, pessimistic are the results of estimates made about their nucleosynthesis in r-process. Nevertheless, the search for these nuclei in nature is justified in view of the fundamental importance of this topic. The first statistically significant data set was obtained by the LDEF Ultra-Heavy Cosmic-Ray Experiment, consisting of 35 tracks of actinide nuclei in galactic cosmic rays. Because of their exceptionally long exposure time in Galaxy, olivine crystals extracted from meteorites generate interest as detectors providing unique data regarding the nuclear composition of ancient cosmic rays. The contemporary searches for superheavy elements in the earth matter rely on knowledge obtained from chemical studies of artificially synthesized superheavy nuclei. New results finding out the chemical behavior of superheavy elements should be employed to obtain samples enriched in their homologues. The detection of rare spontaneous fission events and the technique of accelerator mass spectrometry are employed in these experiments.

Very high energy antineutrinos from photo-disintegration of cosmic ray nuclei

The photo-disintegration of cosmic ray nuclei by starlight leads to the production of secondary antineutrinos. We have assumed that the flux of the ultrahigh energy cosmic ray nuclei near the Galactic plane region is the same as that observed near the earth and calculated the antineutrino flux produced from their photo-disintegration. The IceCube detector has measured the neutrino/antineutrino flux in the TeV–PeV energy range. Our calculated secondary antineutrino flux in the energy range of 10–100 TeV is found to be much less compared to the flux detected by the IceCube collaboration. The upper limit on the intensity of the radiation field in the extragalactic medium is much lower than that near the Galactic center. If we extend our formalism to the extragalactic medium the contribution from the photo-disintegration of ultrahigh energy cosmic ray heavy nuclei remains insignificant due to their very low flux.

AMS-02 in space: physics results, overview, and challenges

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) is a state of the art particle detector measuring cosmic rays (CRs) on the International Space Station (ISS) since May 19th 2011. AMS-02 identifies CR leptons and nuclei in the energy range from hundreds MeV to few TeV per nucleon. Several sub-detector systems allow for redundant particle identification with unprecedented precision, a powerful lepton-hadron separation, and a high purity of the antimatter signal. The new AMS-02 leptonic data from 1 to 500 GeV are presented and discussed. These new data indicate that new sources of CR leptons need to be included to describe the observed spectra at high energies. Explanations of this anomaly may be found either in dark-matter particles annihilation or in the existence of nearby astrophysical sources of e±. Future data at higher energies and forthcoming measurements on the antiproton spectrum and the boron-to-carbon ratio will be crucial in providing the discrimination among the different scenario.

FERMI-LAT OBSERVATIONS OF HIGH- AND INTERMEDIATE-VELOCITY CLOUDS: TRACING COSMIC RAYS IN THE HALO OF THE MILKY WAY.

It is widely accepted that cosmic rays (CRs) up to at least PeV energies are Galactic in origin. Accelerated particles are injected into the interstellar medium where they propagate to the farthest reaches of the Milky Way, including a surrounding halo. The composition of CRs coming to the solar system can be measured directly and has been used to infer the details of CR propagation that are extrapolated to the whole Galaxy. In contrast, indirect methods, such as observations of γ-ray emission from CR interactions with interstellar gas, have been employed to directly probe the CR densities in distant locations throughout the Galactic plane. In this article we use 73 months of data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope in the energy range between 300 MeV and 10 GeV to search for γ-ray emission produced by CR interactions in several high- and intermediate-velocity clouds (IVCs) located at up to ~7 kpc above the Galactic plane. We achieve the first detection of IVCs in γ rays and set upper limits on the emission from the remaining targets, thereby tracing the distribution of CR nuclei in the halo for the first time. We find that the γ-ray emissivity per H atom decreases with increasing distance from the plane at 97.5% confidence level. This corroborates the notion that CRs at the relevant energies originate in the Galactic disk. The emissivity of the upper intermediate-velocity Arch hints at a 50% decline of CR densities within 2 kpc from the plane. We compare our results to predictions of CR propagation models.

A template method for measuring the iron spectrum in cosmic rays with Cherenkov telescopes

Understanding the sources, acceleration mechanisms, and propagation of cosmic rays is an active area of research in astro-particle physics. Measuring the spectrum and elemental composition of cosmic rays on earth can help solve this question. IACTs, while mainly used for γ-ray astronomy and indirect searches for dark matter, can make an important contribution here. In particular, they are able to distinguish heavy nuclei in cosmic rays from protons and lighter nuclei by exploiting the direct Cherenkov light emitted by charged particles high in the atmosphere. In this paper, a method to reconstruct relevant properties of primary cosmic ray particles from the Cherenkov light emitted by the primary particles and the air showers induced by them will be presented.

Interpretations of the IceCube neutrino escess

The IceCube Collaboration announced 2012 evidence for the first detection of extraterrestrial neutrinos. Meanwhile, the discovery of a extraterrestrial neutrino flux of surprisingly large magnitude has been established. I discuss a selection of possible sources for these neutrinos and their signatures, concentrating on the neutrino yield from collisions of cosmic ray nuclei with gas and the possibility that Galactic sources can explain the IceCube excess. I review also the cascade bound on extragalactic neutrinos and its consequences as well as the possibility that decays of PeV dark matter are the origin of the IceCube excess.

Earth magnetic field as analyzer of the cosmic ray ion charge in MONICA experiment

The future onboard experiment MONICA (monitor of cosmic ray nuclei and ions) is aimed for studying the cosmic ray ion fluxes from H to Ni in the energy range 10-300 MeV/n in vicinity of Earth. It's main scientific objective is the measurement of ion ionization states, as well as elemental, isotope composition and energy spectra of Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) fluxes. The method of the ion ionization state measurement based on the usage of Earth magnetic field as a separator of particle charge will be utilized in this experiment. The present contribution is dedicated to investigate the possibilities and features of this method for the MONICA experiment. The real time dependences of inverse square of cut-off geomagnetic L-shell (LC-2) on magnetic rigidity (R) in rigidity range 640-2780 MV were studied experimentally during powerful SEP events December 13-15 2006. The possibility to simulate these dependences using the modern geomagnetic field models is analyzed as well.

LOCAL H i EMISSIVITY MEASURED WITHFERMI-LAT AND IMPLICATIONS FOR COSMIC-RAY SPECTRA

Cosmic-ray (CR) electrons and nuclei interact with the Galactic interstellar gas and produce high-energy ?-rays. The ?-ray emission rate per hydrogen atom, called emissivity, provides a unique indirect probe of the CR flux. We present the measurement and the interpretation of the emissivity in the solar neighborhood for ?-ray energy from 50 MeV to 50 GeV. We analyzed a subset of 4 yr?of observations from the Large Area Telescope (LAT) aboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (Fermi) restricted to absolute latitudes . From a fit to the LAT data including atomic, molecular, and ionized hydrogen column density templates, as well as a dust optical depth map, we derived the emissivities, the molecular hydrogen?to?CO conversion factor cm?2 (K km s?1)?1, and the dust-to-gas ratio cm?2 mag?1. Moreover, we detected for the first time ?-ray emission from ionized hydrogen. We compared the extracted emissivities to those calculated from ?-ray production cross?sections and to CR spectra measured in the heliosphere. We observed that the experimental emissivities are reproduced only if the solar modulation is accounted for. This provides a direct detection of solar modulation observed previously through the anticorrelation between CR fluxes and solar activity. Finally, we fitted a parameterized spectral form to the heliospheric CR observations and to the Fermi-LAT emissivity and obtained compatible local interstellar spectra for proton and helium kinetic energy per nucleon between between 1 and 100 GeV and for electron?positrons between 0.1 and 100 GeV.

UNUSUAL GALACTIC COSMIC RAY INTENSITY AND SPECTRAL CHANGES OBSERVED BY $V1$ NEAR THE HELIOPAUSE

We discuss here two unusual increases of cosmic ray intensity that were observed by V1 in the last 1.1 AU before it crossed the heliopause in 2012 August, at 121.5 AU. These two increases are roughly similar in amplitude and result in a total increase in ?1 GV cosmic ray nuclei of over 50% and 0.01 GV electrons of a factor ?2. During the first increase the changes in the B field are small. After the first increase the B field changes become large and during the second increase the B field variations and cosmic ray changes are correlated to within ? one day. During these time intervals, the rigidity dependence of the increases of GCR H and He nuclei from 100?600 MeV/nuc resemble those used to describe the solar modulation near the Earth during a large transient decrease but the ratio between the intensity changes of H, He, and electrons are different. The magnitude of these increases at Voyager is ?1/3 of the modulation that is required to produce the total modulation of protons, helium nuclei, and electrons between the local interstellar intensities and those observed at the Earth at the 2009 sunspot minima. This may imply that a significant part of the residual solar modulation at times of sunspot minima occurs near the heliopause itself.

The spectral shapes of hydrogen and helium nuclei in cosmic rays

The latest measurements of the energy spectra of protons and helium nuclei show with confidence that there is a significant difference in the shapes, with the proton spectrum being steeper than that of helium. The ratio of the proton to helium intensities falls in the energy range from 30 GeV (where solar modulation ceases) to the maximum energy (as measured) of about 1000 GeV by a factor of The reason for the difference is sought, here, and some possibilities are put forward, of which we consider that the different radial distance from the centre of supernovae, of the elements to be accelerated, is the most likely.

Charge spectrum of superheavy nuclei of galactic cosmic rays obtained in the OLIMPIA experiment

In this paper, we present the last results of the OLIMPIA experiment on the search for and study of traces of heavy and superheavy element nuclei of galactic cosmic rays in olivine crystals from meteorites. The charge spectrum of cosmic rays in the region of heavy nuclei is obtained, three superheavy nuclei of natural origin with charges in the range 105 < Z < 130 and lifetimes longer than 3000 years, being a part of the so-called “stability island”, are identified.

Propagation in 3D spiral-arm cosmic-ray source distribution models and secondary particle production using Picard

We study the impact of possible spiral-arm distributions of Galactic cosmic-ray sources on the flux of various cosmic-ray nuclei throughout our Galaxy. We investigate model cosmic-ray spectra at the nominal position of the sun and at different positions within the Galaxy. The modelling is performed using the recently introduced numerical cosmic ray propagation code Picard. Assuming non-axisymmetric cosmic-ray source distributions yields new insights on the behaviour of primary versus secondary nuclei.We find that primary cosmic rays are more strongly confined to the vicinity of the sources, while the distribution of secondary cosmic rays is much more homogeneous compared to the primaries. This leads to stronger spatial variation in secondary to primary ratios when compared to axisymmetric source distribution models. A good fit to the cosmic-ray data at Earth can be accomplished in different spiral-arm models, although leading to decisively different spatial distributions of the cosmic-ray flux. These lead to different cosmic ray anisotropies, where even reproducing the data becomes possible. Consequently, we advocate directions to seek best fit propagation parameters that take into account the higher complexity introduced by the spiral-arm structure on the cosmic-ray distribution. We specifically investigate whether the flux at Earth is representative for a large fraction of the Galaxy. The variance among possible spiral-arm models allows us to quantify the spatial variation of the cosmic-ray flux within the Galaxy in presence of non-axisymmetric source distributions.