Cosmic Ray Electrons Research Articles

Electromagnetism and thermostability of Cr7C3synthesised with high-temperature and high-pressure quenching method.

The interactions between the carbon skeleton and the metal atoms of a binary transition metal carbide (BTMC) are particular interest for industrial applications with openning physics and chemitry questions, especially in magnetoelectric (ME) functional materials and cemented carbides. Chromium and carbon BTMCs are a series of intermetallic compounds with typical chemical formulas and sharepolycrystalline powder c somehromium special characteristics.and carbon as precursors, In this paper,and synthesized s we usedingle-phase bluk Cr7C3 (orthorhombic, with space group: Pnma) with high density and good crystallinity by means of high-temperature and high-pressure quenching method (HTHPQM). We studied the material properties and electronic structures of Cr7C3studied with both experimental measurements and Density Functional Theory (DFT) ab intio simulations, and found that Cr7C3 is acompaction conductor(97.2 %), with anexcellent electrical conductivitythermostability (oxidation (2.32 10×at 1175 -3K)Ω·m), relative highand a magnetic phase transition from paramagnetism to soft ferromagnetism around 50 K, and the electromagnetic propertities are chiefly due to the abundancy of the 3d electrons of Cr, and the orbital hybridization between C and Cr with their 2p and 3d electrons is the reason for the crystal sturcture and high thermostability. Therefore, the prepared Cr7C3 is multifunctional material with better application prospects, and the HPHTQM is a simple and effective mothed to prepare samples as BTMCs.&#xD.

A numerical study of unusual flux decreases for cosmic ray protons and electrons observed by Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer in 2017

Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), installed on the International Space Station, delivers precision measurements of cosmic proton fluxes and electron fluxes, providing unique inputs to further improve our understanding of the solar modulation of cosmic protons and electrons. The latest measurements published by AMS show significant decreases in daily cosmic proton fluxes and electron fluxes in the second half of 2017 (approximately from June 11, 2017 to December 23, 2017). A special structure, known as a loop, appears in the electron-proton hysteresis during this period. These declining fluxes, as well as their recovery toward solar minimum modulation, could be attributed to solar wind structures such as global merged interaction regions (GMIRs), which can affect cosmic ray flux for several months, as well as coronal mass ejections (CMEs). We aim to find the reason for the decrease and clarify the solar modulation mechanism underlying the loop structure. We developed a 3D numerical model based on Parker transport equation, which is solved as a set of stochastic differential equations, combined with diffusion barriers propagating away from the Sun. Correspondingly, the relevant parameters can be tuned up. The unusual changes in cosmic proton fluxes and electron fluxes in the second half of 2017 could be caused by CMEs and GMIRs. The decreases in these fluxes in 2017, with rigidities below 11 GV, have been successfully reproduced. Daily variations at Earth in terms of the diffusion coefficients (and their mean-free paths) were subsequently obtained. Furthermore, our simulation reveals that the electron-proton hysteresis loop structure in 2017 results from the different responses of protons and electrons to solar modulation, especially with respect to drift and diffusion processes in the heliosphere.

Bayesian Approach to Equipartition Estimation of Magnetic Field Strength

Abstract Magnetic fields, together with cosmic rays (CRs), play an important role in the dynamics and evolution of galaxies, but are difficult to estimate. Energy equipartition between magnetic fields and CRs provides a convenient way to approximate magnetic field strength from radio observations. We present a new approach for calculating the equipartition magnetic field strength based on Bayesian methods. In this approach, the magnetic field is a random variable that is distributed according to a posterior distribution conditional on synchrotron emission and the size of the emitting region. It allows for the direct application of the general formulas for total and polarized synchrotron radiation without the need to invert these formulas, which has limited the equipartition method to highly simplified cases. We have derived the equipartition condition for the case of different low-energy breaks, slopes, and high-energy cutoffs of power-law spectra of the CR proton and electron distributions. The derived formalism was applied in the general case of a magnetic field consisting of both uniform and randomly oriented field components. The applied Bayesian approach naturally provides the uncertainties in the estimated magnetic field strengths resulting from the uncertainties in the observables and the assumed values of the unknown physical parameters. In the examples presented, we used two different Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods to generate the posterior distribution of the magnetic field. We have also developed a web application called BMAG that implements the described approach for different models and observational parameters of real sources.

Constraining Anisotropic Diffusion between Geminga and Earth with the Cosmic-Ray Electron and Positron Spectrum

Constraining Anisotropic Diffusion between Geminga and Earth with the Cosmic-Ray Electron and Positron Spectrum

Predicting HCN, HCO+, multitransition CO, and dust emission of star-forming galaxies

The specific star formation rate of star-forming main sequence galaxies significantly decreased since z ∼ 1.5 because the molecular gas fraction and star formation efficiency decreased. The gas velocity dispersion decreased within the same redshift range and is apparently correlated with the star formation efficiency (inverse of the molecular gas depletion time). However, the radio–infrared (IR) correlation has not changed significantly since z ∼ 1.5. The theory of turbulent clumpy star-forming gas disks together with the scaling relations of the interstellar medium describes the large- and small-scale properties of galactic gas disks. We extend our previous work on the IR multitransition molecular line, and radio continuum emission of local and high-z star-forming and starburst galaxies to local and z ∼ 0.5 luminous IR galaxies. The model reproduces the IR luminosities, CO, HCN, and HCO+ line luminosities, and the CO spectral line energy distributions of these galaxies. We derived CO(1–0) and HCN(1–0) conversion factors for all galaxy samples. The relation between the star formation rate per unit area and the H2 surface density cannot be fit simply for all redshifts. The star formation efficiency, the product of the gas turbulent velocity dispersion, and the angular velocity of the galaxies are tightly correlated. Galaxies with lower stellar masses can in principle compensate their gas consumption via star formation by radial viscous gas accretion. The limiting stellar mass increases with redshift. The radio continuum emission is directly proportional to the density of cosmic-ray (CR) electrons, but the molecular line emission depends on the CR ionization rate via the gas chemistry. The normalization of the CR ionization rate we found for the different galaxy samples is higher by about a factor of three to five than the normalization for the solar neighborhood. This means that the mean yield of low-energy CR particles for a given star formation rate per unit area is higher by about three to ten times in external galaxies than was observed by Voyager I.

Low Injection Rate of Cosmic-Ray Protons in the Turbulent Reacceleration Model of Radio Halos in Galaxy Clusters

A giant radio halo (RH) is a diffuse synchrotron emission observed on the scale of megaparsecs, typically found in the central region of merging galaxy clusters. Its large size and steep spectrum suggest that it originates from the reenergization of an aged population of cosmic-ray electrons (CREs), while the secondary leptons produced in the pp hadronic collision of cosmic-ray protons (CRPs) may contribute to the emission. In this study, we investigate the reacceleration model including both primary and secondary CREs, assuming that the primary cosmic rays (CRs) originate from internal galaxies. In our new method, we follow the cosmological evolution of each cluster and calculate the energy spectra and 1D spatial distributions of CRs. The primary CRE model with a ∼3 Gyr duration of reacceleration successfully reproduces the statistical properties of the RHs observed in the recent LOFAR survey, as well as the spectrum and profile of the Coma cluster. The gamma-ray and neutrino emissions produced by reaccelerated CRPs are consistent with the upper limits. However, if the CRP injection rate is high and the secondary CREs become significant, the model with the required ∼3 Gyr reacceleration overproduces the number of RHs. The limit on the CRP injection rate, L p ≲ 1041 erg s−1, is significantly lower than that expected from the early starburst activity or jets from active galactic nuclei. This discrepancy requires a revision of either the model of CR supply from galaxies or the turbulent reacceleration model.

Attenuation of cosmic ray electron boosted dark matter

We consider a model of boosted dark matter (DM), where a fraction of DM is upscattered to relativistic energies by cosmic ray electrons. Such interactions responsible for boosting the DM also attenuate its flux at the Earth. Considering a simple model of constant interaction cross section, we make analytical estimates of the variation of the attenuation ceiling with the DM mass and confirm it numerically. We then extend our analysis to a Z′-mediated leptophilic DM model. We show that the attenuation ceiling remains nearly model independent for DM and mediator particles heavier than the electron, challenging some previous discussions on this topic. Using the XENONnT direct detection experiment, we illustrate how constraints based on energy-dependent scattering can significantly differ from those based on an assumed constant cross section. This highlights the importance of reevaluating these constraints in the context of specific models. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

The SARAO MeerKAT galactic plane survey filamentary source catalogue

Abstract We present a catalogue of filamentary structures identified in the SARAO (South African Radio Astronomy Observatory) MeerKAT 1.3 GHz Galactic Plane Survey (SMGPS). We extract 933 filaments across the survey area, 803 of which (${\sim }86~{{\%}}$) are associated with extended radio structures (e.g. supernova remnants and H ii regions), whilst 130 (${\sim }14~{{\%}}$) are largely isolated. We classify filaments as thermal or non-thermal via their associated mid-infrared emission and find 77/130 (${\sim }59~{{\%}}$) of the isolated sources are likely to be non-thermal, and are therefore excellent candidates for the first isolated, non-thermal radio filaments observed outside of the Galactic Centre (GC). Comparing the morphological properties of these non-thermal candidates to the non-thermal filaments observed towards the GC we find the GC filaments are on the whole angularly narrower and shorter than those across the SMGPS, potentially an effect of distance. The SMGPS filaments have flux densities similar to those of the GC, however the distribution of the latter extends to higher flux densities. If the SMGPS filaments were closer than the GC population, it would imply a more energetic population of cosmic ray electrons in the GC. We find the filament position angles in the SMGPS are uniformly distributed, implying that the local magnetic field traced by the filaments does not follow the large-scale Galactic field. Finally, although we have clearly shown that filaments are not unique to the GC, the GC nevertheless has the highest density of filaments in the Milky Way.

Jet Interaction with Galaxy Cluster Mergers

Active galactic nucleus (AGN) bubbles in cool-core galaxy clusters are believed to facilitate the transport of cosmic-ray electrons (CRe) throughout the cluster. Recent radio observations reveal the complex morphologies of cluster diffuse emission, potentially linked to interactions between AGN bursts and the cluster environment. We perform 3D magnetohydrodynamical simulations of binary cluster mergers and inject a bidirectional jet at the center of the main cluster. Kinetic, thermal, magnetic, and cosmic ray (CR) energy are included in the jet and we use the two-fluid formalism to model the CR component. We explore a wide range of cluster merger and jet parameters. We discuss the formation of various wide-angle-tail and X-shaped sources in the early evolution of the jet and merger. During the last phase of the evolution, we find that the CR material efficiently permeates the central region of the cluster reaching radii of ∼1–2 Mpc within ∼5–6 Gyr, depending on the merger mass ratio. We find that solenoidal turbulence dominates during the binary merger and we explore the possibility for the CR jet material to be reaccelerated by super-Alfvènic turbulence and contribute to cluster scale radio emission. We find high volume fractions, ≳70%, at which the turbulent acceleration time is shorter than the electron cooling time. Finally, we study the merger shock interaction with the CRe material and show that it is unlikely that this material significantly contributes to the radio relic emission associated with the shocks. We suggest that multiple jet outbursts and/or off-center radio galaxies would increase the likelihood of detecting these merger shocks in the radio due to shock reacceleration.

High-Statistics Measurement of the Cosmic-Ray Electron Spectrum with H.E.S.S.

Owing to their rapid cooling rate and hence loss-limited propagation distance, cosmic-ray electrons and positrons (CRe) at very high energies probe local cosmic-ray accelerators and provide constraints on exotic production mechanisms such as annihilation of dark matter particles. We present a high-statistics measurement of the spectrum of CRe candidate events from 0.3 to 40TeV with the High Energy Stereoscopic System, covering 2 orders of magnitude in energy and reaching a proton rejection power of better than 10^{4}. The measured spectrum is well described by a broken power law, with a break around 1TeV, where the spectral index increases from Γ_{1}=3.25±0.02(stat)±0.2(sys) to Γ_{2}=4.49±0.04(stat)±0.2(sys). Apart from the break, the spectrum is featureless. The absence of distinct signatures at multi-TeV energies imposes constraints on the presence of nearby CRe accelerators and the local CRe propagation mechanisms.

Census of cosmic-ray electrons suggests calm interstellar surroundings

Census of cosmic-ray electrons suggests calm interstellar surroundings

Simulating the LOcal Web (SLOW) III. Synchrotron emission from the local cosmic web

Detecting diffuse synchrotron emission from the cosmic web is still a challenge for current radio telescopes. We aim to make predictions about the detectability of cosmic web filaments from simulations. We present the first cosmological magnetohydrodynamic simulation of a 500 $h^ c$Mpc volume with an on-the-fly spectral cosmic ray (CR) model. This allows us to follow the evolution of populations of CR electrons and protons within every resolution element of the simulation. We modeled CR injection at shocks, while accounting for adiabatic changes to the CR population and high-energy-loss processes of electrons. The synchrotron emission was then calculated from the aged electron population, using the simulated magnetic field, as well as different models for the origin and amplification of magnetic fields. We used constrained initial conditions, which closely resemble the local Universe, and compared the results of the cosmological volume to a zoom-in simulation of the Coma cluster, to study the impact of resolution and turbulent reacceleration of CRs on the results. We find a consistent injection of CRs at accretion shocks onto cosmic web filaments and galaxy clusters. This leads to diffuse emission from filaments of the order $S_ $ for a potential LOFAR observation at 144 MHz, when assuming the most optimistic magnetic field model. The flux can be increased by up to two orders of magnitude for different choices of CR injection parameters. This can bring the flux within a factor of ten of the current limits for direct detection. We find a spectral index of the simulated synchrotron emission from filaments of $ -1.0 -- -1.5 in the LOFAR band.

On the 3D Transport of Low-energy Galactic Cosmic-ray and Jovian Electrons in the Inner Heliosphere in the Presence of a Fisk-type Heliospheric Magnetic Field

Modeling the transport of low-energy (1−10 MeV) cosmic-ray electrons can lead to valuable insights as to the behavior of the heliospheric magnetic field (HMF), due to the fact that the mean free path (MFP) of these particles parallel to the HMF is significantly larger than their perpendicular MFP, and that these particles experience little in the way of drift due to gradients/curvatures in the HMF and along the heliospheric current sheet. Jovian electrons are particularly suitable for such an endeavour, as they originate from a decentral source in the inner heliosphere. To this end, the transport of these electrons is studied using a 3D, ab initio particle transport code that incorporates theoretical expressions for electron diffusion coefficients, and utilizes as inputs for these transport coefficients turbulence quantities calculated using a two-component turbulence transport model. The effects of a novel Fisk-type field on the transport of these Jovian electrons are investigated and compared with the effects of a standard Parker field.

Radio–FIR correlation: A probe into cosmic ray propagation in the nearby galaxy IC 342

Resolved studies of the correlation between the radio and far-infrared (FIR) emission from galaxies at different frequencies can unveil the interplay between star formation and the relativistic interstellar medium (ISM). Thanks to the LOFAR LoTSS observations combined with VLA, Herschel, and WISE data, we study the role of cosmic rays and magnetic fields in the radio–FIR correlation on scales of ≳200 pc in the nearby galaxy IC 342. The thermal emission traced by the 22 μm emission, constitutes about 6%, 13%, and 30% of the observed radio emission at 0.14, 1.4, and 4.8 GHz, respectively, in star-forming regions and less in other parts. The nonthermal spectral index becomes flatter at frequencies lower than 1.4 GHz (αn = −0.51 ± 0.09, Sν ∝ ναn) than between 1.4 and 4.8 GHz (αn = −1.06 ± 0.19) on average, and this flattening occurs not only in star-forming regions but also in the diffuse ISM. The radio–FIR correlation holds at all radio frequencies; however, it is tighter at higher radio frequencies. A multi-scale analysis shows that this correlation cannot be maintained on small scales due to diffusion of cosmic ray electrons (CREs). The correlation breaks at a larger scale (≃320 pc) at 0.14 GHz than at 1.4 GHz (≃200 pc), indicating that the CREs traced at lower frequencies have diffused a longer path in the ISM. We find that the energy index of CREs becomes flatter in star-forming regions, in agreement with previous studies. Cooling of CREs due to the magnetic field is evident globally only after compensating for the effect of star formation activity that both accelerates CREs and amplifies magnetic fields. Compared with other nearby galaxies, we show that the smallest scale of the radio–FIR correlation is proportional to the propagation length of the CREs on which the ordered magnetic field has an important effect.

CHANG-ES

Context. Cosmic rays may be dynamically very important in driving large-scale galactic winds. Edge-on galaxies give us an outsider’s view of radio haloes, and of their extra-planar cosmic-ray electrons and magnetic fields. Aims. We present a new radio continuum imaging study of the nearby edge-on galaxy NGC 4217. We examine the distribution of extra-planar cosmic rays and magnetic fields. We observed it with both the Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA) in the S band (2–4 GHz) and the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) at 144 MHz. Methods. We measured vertical intensity profiles and exponential scale heights. We re-imaged both the JVLA and LOFAR data at matched angular resolution in order to measure radio spectral indices between 144 MHz and 3 GHz. Confusing point-like sources were subtracted prior to imaging. We then fitted intensity profiles with cosmic-ray electron advection models, using an isothermal wind model that is driven by a combination of pressure from the hot gas and cosmic rays. Results. We discover a large-scale radio halo on the north-western side of the galactic disc. The morphology is reminiscent of a bubble extending up to 20 kpc from the disc. We find spectral ageing in the bubble, which allowed us to measure the advection speeds of the cosmic-ray electrons, which accelerate from 300 to 600 km s−1. Assuming energy equipartition between the cosmic rays and the magnetic field, we estimate the bubble may have been inflated by a modest 10% of the kinetic energy injected by supernovae over its dynamical timescale of 35 Myr. While no active galactic nucleus (AGN) has been detected, such activity in the recent past cannot be ruled out. Conclusions. Non-thermal bubbles with sizes of tens of kiloparsecs may be a ubiquitous feature of star-forming galaxies, and if so this would demonstrate the influence of feedback. Determining possible contributions by AGN feedback will require deeper observations.

Simulating Radio Synchrotron Morphology, Spectra, and Polarization of Cosmic Ray Driven Galactic Winds

The formation of galaxies is significantly influenced by galactic winds, possibly driven by cosmic rays due to their long cooling times and better coupling to plasma compared to radiation. In this study, we compare the radio observations of the edge-on galaxy NGC 4217 from the CHANG-ES collaboration catalog with a mock observation of an isolated galaxy based on the arepo simulation that adopts the state-of-the-art two-moment cosmic ray transport treatment and multiphase interstellar medium model. We find significant agreement between the simulated and observed images and spectroscopic data for reasonable model parameters. Specifically, we find that (i) the shape of the intensity profiles depends weakly on the magnitude of the magnetic field, the distance of the simulated galaxy, and the normalization of the CR electron spectrum. The agreement between the mock and actual observations is degenerate with respect to these factors; (ii) the multiwavelength spectrum above 0.1 GHz is in agreement with the radio observations and its slope is also only weakly sensitive to the magnetic field strength; (iii) the magnetic field direction exhibits X-shaped morphology, often seen in edge-on galaxies, which is consistent with the observations and indicates the presence of a galactic-scale outflow. Our results highlight the importance of incorporating advanced cosmic ray transport models in simulations and provide a deeper understanding of galactic wind dynamics and its impact on galaxy evolution.

A Simple Model of the Radio–Infrared Correlation Depending on Gas Surface Density and Redshift

We introduce a simple parametric model of the radio–infrared correlation (i.e., the ratio between the IR luminosity and the 1.4 GHz radio luminosity, q IR) by considering the energy loss rate of high-energy cosmic-ray (CR) electrons governed by radiative cooling (synchrotron, bremsstrahlung, inverse Compton scattering), ionization, and adiabatic expansion. Each process of CR electron energy loss is explicitly computed and compared to each other. We rewrite the energy loss rate of each process to be dependent on the gas surface density and redshift using the relevant scaling relations. By combining each energy loss rate, the fraction of the synchrotron energy loss rate is computed as a function of gas surface density and redshift and used to extrapolate the well-established “local” radio–infrared correlation to the high-redshift Universe. The locally established q IR is reformulated to be dependent upon the redshift and the gas surface density and applied for understanding the observed distribution of the radio–infrared correlation of high-redshift galaxies in I. Delvecchio et al. Our model predicts that the q IR value is anticorrelated with gas surface density and the redshift dependency of the q IR value changes by the gas surface density of galaxies, which captures the observed trend of q IR values for stellar-mass-selected star-forming galaxies with a minimal impact of radio–infrared selection bias.

Identification of positrons and electrons at TeV energy scale using the AMS tracker, time-of-flight counters, and electromagnetic calorimeter

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, AMS, is successfully collecting data since its installation on the International Space Station on May 19, 2011. One of the main AMS objectives is the measurement of cosmic ray positrons and electrons at the highest energies. We present a new technique for the identification of electrons and positrons, which is used in the AMS data analysis in the energy range up to a few TeV. The focus of this article is on the rejection of the proton background using the AMS silicon tracker, the time-of-flight counters, and the electromagnetic calorimeter.

Origin of the break in the cosmic-ray electron plus positron spectrum at ∼1 TeV

Recent measurements of the cosmic-ray electron plus positron spectrum in several experiments have confirmed the presence of a break at ∼1 TeV. The origin of the break is still not clearly understood. In this work, we explored different possibilities for the origin, which include an electron source spectrum with a broken power law, a power law with an exponential or super-exponential cutoff, and the absence of potential nearby cosmic-ray sources. Based on the observed electron plus positron data from the DAMPE and the H.E.S.S experiments, and considering supernova remnants as the main sources of cosmic rays in the Galaxy, we find statistical evidence in favor of the scenario with a broken power-law source spectrum, with the best-fit source parameters obtained as Γ = 2.39 for the source spectral index, E0 ≈ 1.6 TeV for the break energy, and f = 1.59 × 1048 ergs for the amount of supernova kinetic energy injected into cosmic-ray electrons. This power-law break in the spectrum has been predicted for electrons confined inside supernova remnants after acceleration via diffusive shock acceleration process, and also indicated by the multi-wavelength study of supernova remnants. All of this evidence shows that the observed spectral break provides a strong indication of a direct link between cosmic-ray electrons and their sources. Our findings further show that electrons must undergo spectral changes while escaping the source region in order to reconcile the difference between the spectral index of electrons observed inside supernova remnants and that obtained from Galactic cosmic-ray propagation studies.

Search for Cosmic-Ray Boosted Sub-MeV Dark-Matter–Electron Scattering in PandaX-4T

We report the first search for the elastic scatterings between cosmic-ray boosted sub-MeV dark matter (DM) and electrons in the PandaX-4T liquid xenon experiment. Sub-MeV DM particles can be accelerated by scattering with electrons in the cosmic rays and produce detectable electron recoil signals in the detector. Using the commissioning data from PandaX-4T of 0.63 tonne·year exposure, we set new constraints on DM-electron scattering cross sections for DM masses ranging from 10 eV/c2 to 3 keV/c2. Published by the American Physical Society 2024