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Based on recent observations of the galactic gas and gamma ray distributions, the galactic cosmic ray distribution is deduced. This distribution is identical to that of supernova remnants (within experimental error), strongly supporting the hypothesis that most observed cosmic rays are produced by supernovas in our own galaxy. The average age of the cosmic ray sources is suggested, from the character of their distribution, to be about 30 million years.
New surveys of galactic gamma ray emission together with millimeter wave radio surveys indicated that cosmic rays were produced as the result of supernova explosions in our galaxy with the most intense production occurring in a Great Galactic Ring about 35,000 light years in diameter where supernova remnants and pulsars were concentrated.
The effects of interstellar magnetic fields and cosmic rays on the dynamics of an SNR expanding into a warm H I gas are examined. As long as the shock wave driven by the SN explosion propagates faster than 110 km/s, the vicinity of the shock front is fully ionized, and cosmic rays are well coupled to the thermal fluid. They are first accelerated at the adiabatic front, and further compressed in the postshock cooling zone. When the shock velocity drops below 110 km/s, ion-neutral collisions in the vicinity of the shock dissipate the waves which couple cosmic rays to the thermal gas, and impede cosmic-ray acceleration. It is found that magnetic and cosmic-ray pressures together dominate over thermal pressure away from the magnetic poles. As a result, most of the shell becomes considerably thicker, and the shock wave propagates somewhat faster than in the nonmagnetic case. At late times, the transverse mass motions which take place from the poles to the equator create H I holes at the polar caps. This theory leads to a simple interpretation of the 'barrel-shaped' distribution of radio emission observed in some SNRs.
Using data from a cosmic ray charge-isotope telescope flown on balloons, both the charge and isotopic composition are determined of Z = 6-14 cosmic ray nuclei. A low abundance for the elements N and Ne in the cosmic ray source relative to solar cosmic rays is observed. For the isotopes, a cosmic ray source ratio Ne-22/Ne-20 is found that is 3.52 plus or minus 0.67 times the solar ratio, this enhancement being due in part to an enhancement of Ne-22 and in part to an underabundance of Ne-20. Also observed are possible enhancements of the Mg-26/Mg-24 ratio, which is 1.40 plus or minus 0.24 times the solar t ratio, and the C-13/C-12 ratio, which is 2.90 plus or minus 0.93 times the solar ratio. For Ne, the underabundance of this element, coupled with the overabundnace of the isotope Ne-22, is seen as providing an important new clue to the nucleosynthesis processes producing these differences.
The evolution of cosmic-ray-modified SNRs during the early Sedov phase is investigated using the time-dependent, two-fluid model for diffusive shock acceleration. Consideration is given to the sensitivity of net acceleration efficiency to model assumptions regarding density structure of the external medium as well as time dependence in the diffusion coefficient and the cosmic-ray adiabatic index. Of the model assumptions explored, the greatest sensitivity was found to time variations in the specific heat ratio to cosmic rays. It was found that if tau is greater than or approximately equal to few times 100, dynamically significant cosmic-ray pressures are produced early in the Sedov inefficient cosmic-ray accelerators. For the SNR models under consideration, the total energy channeled into the cosmic rays can be of order 10 percent of the initial blast energy for both the uniform density and inverse-square density interstellar medium models.
Context. Low-energy cosmic rays (<1 TeV) play a fundamental role in the chemical and dynamical evolution of molecular clouds, as they control the ionisation, dissociation, and excitation of H 2 . Their characterisation is therefore important both for the interpretation of observations and for the development of theoretical models. However, the methods used so far for estimating the cosmic-ray ionisation rate in molecular clouds have several limitations due to uncertainties in the adopted chemical networks. Aims. Here, we refine and extend a previously proposed method to estimate the cosmic-ray ionisation rate in molecular clouds by observing rovibrational transitions of H 2 at near-infrared wavelengths, which are mainly excited by secondary cosmic-ray electrons. Methods. Combining models of interstellar cosmic-ray propagation and attenuation in molecular clouds with the rigorous calculation of the expected secondary electron spectrum and updated electron-H 2 excitation cross sections, we derive the intensity of the four H 2 rovibrational transitions observable in cold dense gas: (1—0)O(2), (1—0)Q(2), (1—0)S(0), and (1—0)O(4). Results. The proposed method allows the estimation of the cosmic-ray ionisation rate for a given observed line intensity and H 2 column density. We are also able to deduce the shape of the low-energy cosmic-ray proton spectrum impinging upon the molecular cloud. In addition, we present a look-up plot and a web-based application that can be used to constrain the low-energy spectral slope of the interstellar cosmic-ray proton spectrum. We finally comment on the capability of the James Webb Space Telescope to detect these near-infrared H 2 lines, which will make it possible to derive, for the first time, spatial variation in the cosmic-ray ionisation rate in dense gas. Besides the implications for the interpretation of the chemical-dynamic evolution of a molecular cloud, it will finally be possible to test competing models of cosmic-ray propagation and attenuation in the interstellar medium, as well as compare cosmic-ray spectra in different Galactic regions
Cosmic ray propagation processes studied from measurement of anisotropic character of cosmic radiation /1965-1966/
Reentrant cosmic ray albedo intensity, considering nuclear interaction and trajectory spiraling effects
The consequences of cosmic ray production by a supernova in a molecular cloud are discussed. Self-trapping problems for a higher flux of cosmic rays in a molecular cloud are focused on. The column density of molecular clouds is probably too high to explain the majority of galactic cosmic ray sources, even allowing for fortuitous asymmetry in the placement of the supernova in the cloud, however, measurements of antiproton flux suggest that some cosmic ray sources do have a high column density. The large predicted gamma-ray luminosity of such a cloud invites comparison with COS-B sources.
Composition of solar cosmic rays - radiation hazard
The longitudinal distribution of cosmic ray intensity was examined during the years 1974-1976 when the persistent high speed solar wind stream structures produced a well ordered inner heliosphere. Solar wind velocity is mapped back to the Sun and compared with cosmic ray intensity which is represented relative to the solar rotation average. Low solar wind velocity is observed to be a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for the occurrence of higher cosmic ray intensities at 1 AU. These relative enhancements cover a restricted range of heliographic longitudes and persist for several solar rotations. The observed solar wind and cosmic ray intensity relationships are consistent with a simple model suggested here in which cosmic ray modulation is very weak in the inner heliosphere, sunward of the first shock crossing on each field line and more intense in the outer heliosphere.
Measuring the chemical composition of the cosmic rays in the energy region of greater than or equal to 10(exp 12)eV would be highly useful in settling several nagging questions concerning the propagation of cosmic rays in the galaxy. In particular an accurate measurement of secondary to primary ratios such as Boron to Carbon would gibe clear evidence as to whether the propagation of cosmic rays is determined by a diffusion coefficient that varies with the particle's energy as E(sup 0.5) or E(sup 0.3). This would go a long ways in helping us to understand the anistropy (or lack thereof) of the highest energy cosmic rays and the power requirements for producing those particles at approximately equal to 10(exp 18) eV which are believed to be highest energy particles produced in the Galaxy. This would be only one of the benefits of a mission such as ACCESS to perform direct particle measurements on very high energy cosmic rays.
Theoretical considerations and analysis of the results of gamma ray astronomy suggest that the galactic cosmic rays are dynamically coupled to the interstellar matter through the magnetic fields, and hence the cosmic ray density should be enhanced where the matter density is greatest on the scale of galactic arms. This concept has been explored in a galactic model using recent 21 cm radio observations of the neutral hydrogen and 2.6 mm observations of carbon monoxide, which is considered to be a tracer of molecular hydrogen. The model assumes: (1) cosmic rays are galactic and not universal; (2) on the scale of galactic arms, the cosmic ray column (surface) density is proportional to the total interstellar gas column density; (3) the cosmic ray scale height is significantly larger than the scale height of the matter; and (4) ours is a spiral galaxy characterized by an arm to interarm density ratio of about 3:1.
Elemental, isotopic, and antiproton abundances in cosmic ray sources are examined. The elemental abundances for very rare elements with atomic numbers (Z) greater than 30, for individual elements with Z less than 33, and for even-Z elements with Z less than 60 are compared with elemental abundances in the solar system. The effects of nucleosynthesis of the material and the cosmic ray acceleration process on the abundances of elements is discussed. It is observed that the cosmic ray sources differ in composition from the solar system; however, the abundances are generally the same. The observations of the cosmic ray antiprotons are described.
The intensity of energetic charged particles (cosmic rays) in the inner solar system is observed to vary with time over a variety of time scales. The sun is the ultimate cause of these variations, although in some cases the precise mechanism leading to the change is not yet known. Cosmic rays of solar origin are produced sporadically in solar flares. The events can be intense and last for hours (high energies) to days (lower energies), and the variation from event to event is large. Below roughly 200 MeV energy the intensity averaged over a solar cycle is dominated by solar cosmic rays, so that time variations below this energy are governed by the variations in the frequency and intensity of solar flares. Galactic cosmic rays are present continuously and dominate the average intensity above about 200 MeV. They are 'modulated' by the sun and have their lowest intensity during high solar activity. The physical agent causing changes in the galactic cosmic ray intensity is the solar-wind-entrained magnetic field. The impact of our still somewhat limited understanding of shorter-term variations (over one or two solar cycles) upon the interpretation of longer-term variations is briefly discussed.
The composition of cosmic rays and solar particles is reviewed with emphasis on the question of whether they are representative samples of Galactic and solar matter. The composition of solar particles changes with energy and from flare to flare. A strong excess of heavy elements at energies below a few MeV/nuc decreases with energy, and at energies above 15 MeV/nuc the composition of solar particles resembles that of galactic cosmic rays somewhat better than that of the solar atmosphere. The elements Ne through Pb have remarkably similar abundances in cosmic ray sources and in the matter of the solar system. The lighter elements are depleted in cosmic rays, whereas U and Th may be enriched or not, depending on whether the meteoritic or solar abundance of Th is used.
The elemental composition of the cosmic-ray source is different from that which has been generally taken as the composition of the solar system. No general enrichment of products of either r-process or s-process nucleosynthesis accounts for the differences over the entire range of ultraheavy (Z 30) elements; specific determination of nucleosynthetic contributions to the differences depends upon an understanding of the nature of any acceleration fractionation. Comparison between the cosmic-ray source abundances and the abundances of C1 and C2 chondritic meteorites suggests that differences between the cosmic-ray source and the standard (C1) solar system may not be due to acceleration fractionation of the cosmic rays, but rather to a fractionation of the C1 abundances with respect to the interstellar abundances.
The elemental composition of the cosmic-ray source is different from that which has been generally taken as the composition of the solar system. No general enrichment of products of either r-process or s-process nucleosynthesis accounts for the differences over the entire range of ultraheavy elements; specific determination of nucleosynthetic contributions to the differences depends upon an understanding of the nature of any acceleration fractionation. Comparison between the cosmic-ray source abundances and the abundances of C1 and C2 chondritic meteorites suggests the possibility that differences between the cosmic-ray source and the 'standard (C1) solar system' may not be due to acceleration fractionation of the cosmic rays, but may be due instead to a fractionation of the C1 abundances with respect to the interstellar abundances.