The WMAP Haze from the Galactic Center Region Due to Massive Star Explosions and a Reduced Cosmic Ray Scale Height
Abstract
One important prediction of acceleration of particles in the supernova caused shock in the magnetic wind of exploding Wolf-Rayet and red supergiant stars is the production of an energetic particle component with an E -2 spectrum at a level on the order of 1% of the full cosmic ray electron population. After allowing for transport effects, so steepening the spectrum to E -7/3, this component as cosmic ray electrons readily explains the WMAP haze from the Galactic center region in spectrum, intensity, and radial profile; this requires the diffusion timescale for cosmic rays in the Galactic center region to be much shorter than in the solar neighborhood: the energy for cosmic ray electrons at the transition between diffusion dominance and loss dominance is shifted to considerably higher particle energy. We predict that more precise observations will find a radio spectrum of ν-2/3, at higher frequencies ν-1, and at yet higher frequencies finally ν-3/2.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- February 2010
- DOI:
- 10.1088/2041-8205/710/1/L53
- arXiv:
- arXiv:0910.1197
- Bibcode:
- 2010ApJ...710L..53B
- Keywords:
-
- acceleration of particles;
- cosmic rays;
- radio continuum: general;
- shock waves;
- stars: winds;
- outflows;
- supernovae: general;
- Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
- E-Print:
- 10 pages