Cosmic ray energy spectra at sources.
Abstract
Recently the Saclay-Copenhagen spectrometer on board the satellite HEAO 3 has provided extremely accurate data on the elemental composition and energy spectra of cosmic ray nuclei from Be to Zn in the energy range 0.7 to 25 GeV/n. These data have been interpreted in the framework of galactic diffusion models, either homogeneous or with a halo. The data tend to favor a rather flat halo, ≡1 kpc thick. The mean escape pathlength from the Galaxy is found to decrease with the magnetic rigidity of the particles R as R-0.6. The momentum spectra at the source for the main primary elements between C and Fe are well fitted by a single power law with an exponent γ = -2.41±0.05. Implications for cosmic ray sources and confinement of recent results on high energy cosmic nuclei, electrons and gamma rays are reviewed.
- Publication:
-
High Energy Astrophysics Meeting
- Pub Date:
- 1984
- Bibcode:
- 1984hea..meet..265K
- Keywords:
-
- Abundance;
- Cosmic Rays;
- Energy Spectra;
- Heao 3;
- Radio Galaxies;
- Astronomical Spectroscopy;
- Electron Density (Concentration);
- Electron Energy;
- Galactic Nuclei;
- Gamma Rays;
- Halos;
- Kinetic Energy;
- Nuclei (Nuclear Physics);
- Satellite-Borne Instruments;
- Space Radiation;
- Cosmic Rays:Energy Spectra;
- Cosmic Rays:Galactic Distribution;
- Cosmic Rays:Mass Spectra;
- Cosmic Rays:Origin;
- Galaxy:Particle Propagation