arXiv subjects

Angela V. Olinto

Publications and source records attributed to Angela V. Olinto.

68 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2001

Galactic Magnetic Field Structure and Ultra High Energy Cosmic Ray Propagation

We consider the effects of the Galactic magnetic field on the propagation of ultra high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). By employing two methods of trajectory simulation, we investigate the possibility that UHECRs are produced within the Galaxy with paths strongly influenced by the Galactic magnetic field. Such trajectories have the potential to reconcile the existing conflict between proposed local sources and isotropic UHECR arrival directions.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

WIMPS Are Stronger When They Stick Together

Weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) remain the strongest candidates for the dark matter in the Universe. If WIMPs are the dark matter, they will form galactic halos according to the hierarchical clustering observed in N-body simulations. Cold dark matter (CDM) simulations show that large dark matter structures such as galactic and cluster halos are formed by the merging of many smaller clumps of dark matter. Each clump or halo is characterized by a centrally cusped density profile that can enhance the rate of WIMP annihilation and make the annihilation products more easily detectable. Electrons and positrons generated as decay products of WIMP annihilation emit synchrotron radiation in the Galactic magnetic field. We study the synchrotron signature from the clumps of dark matter in our Galactic halo. We find that the emission in the radio and microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum can be above the CMB anisotropy level and should be detectable by CMB anisotropy experiments. Depending on the density profile of dark matter clumps, hundreds of clumps can have detectable fluxes and angular sizes.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

Cosmic Neutrinos and New Physics beyond the Electroweak Scale

New physics beyond the electroweak scale may increase weak interaction cross sections beyond the Standard Model predictions. Such cross sections can be expected within theories that solve the hierarchy problem of known interactions with a unification scale in the TeV range. We derive constraints on these cross sections from the flux of neutrinos expected from cosmic ray interactions with the microwave background and the non-observation of horizontal air showers. We also discuss how this limit can be improved by upcoming cosmic ray and neutrino experiments, and how the energy dependence of the new interactions can be probed by these experiments.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2000

From the Galaxy to the Edge of the Universe: Plausible Sources of UHECRs

The lack of a high energy cutoff in the cosmic ray spectrum together with an apparently isotropic distribution of arrival directions for the highest energy events have strongly constrained most models proposed for the generation of these particles. An overview of the theoretical proposals are presented along with their most general signatures. Future experimental tests of the different proposals are discussed.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

The GZK Feature in our Neighborhood of the Universe

We calculate numerically the spectrum of ultra-high energy cosmic rays on Earth assuming that their sources are distributed in space like the observed galaxies. We use the CfA2 and the PSCz galaxy redshift surveys to model the local galaxy distribution, properly taking into account the galaxy selection functions for each survey. When the survey selection effects are included, we find that the local overdensity is only a factor of two, an order of magnitude less than used in some earlier studies. An overdensity of two is not enough to bridge the gap between the predicted number of events above $10^{20}$ eV and the measured flux at these highest energies. This conclusion is particularly strong for soft injection spectra ($\propto E^{-3}$) where the observed number of events is 6 $σ$ higher than the expected one. However, if the injection spectrum is hard ($\propto E^{-2}$), the small local overdensity helps bring the present data within 2$σ$ of the low number of events predicted above $10^{20}$ eV. In this case, the Greisen-Zatzepin-Kuzmin cutoff is not a {\it cutoff} but rather a {\it feature} in the cosmic ray spectrum.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1999

Ultra High Energy Cosmic Ray Accelerators

The surprising lack of a high energy cutoff in the cosmic ray spectrum at the highest energies together with an apparently isotropic distribution of arrival directions have strongly challenged most models proposed for the acceleration of ultra high energy cosmic rays. Young neutron star winds may be able to explain the mystery. We discuss this recent proposal after summarizing the observational challenge and plausible acceleration sites. Young neutrons star winds differ from alternative models in the predictions for composition, spectrum, and angular distribution which will be tested in future experiments.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1999

Neutron Stars and Black Holes as MACHOs

We consider the contribution of neutron stars and black holes to the dynamical mass of galactic halos. In particular, we show that if these compact objects were produced by an early generation of stars with initial metallicity less than about $10^{-4} Z_\odot$, they can contribute at most 30--40% of the Galactic halo mass without creating supersolar levels of enrichment. We show that the case for halo neutron stars and black holes cannot be rejected on metal overproduction arguments alone, due to the critical factor of the choice of progenitor metallicity in determining the yields. We show that this scenario satisfies observational constraints, similar to but no more severe than those faced by halo white dwarfs. We also discuss the recent results on halo microlensing, the presence of enriched hot gas in clusters and groups of galaxies, and other observations. If there are halo neutron stars and black holes, they will be detected by microlensing experiments in the future as longer-timescale events.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1999

Cosmological Magnetic Fields Limits in an Inhomogeneous Universe

We study the effect of inhomogeneities in the matter distribution of the universe on the Faraday rotation of light from distant QSOs and derive new limits on the cosmological magnetic field. The matter distribution in the Universe is far from being homogeneous and, for the redshifts of interest to rotation measures (RM), it is well described by the observed Ly-$α$ forest. We use a log-normal distribution to model the Ly-$α$ forest and assume that a cosmological magnetic field is frozen into the plasma and is therefore a function of the density inhomogeneities. The Ly-$α$ forest results are much less sensitive to the cosmological magnetic field coherence length than those for a homogeneous universe and show an increase in the magnitude of the expected RM for a given field by over an order of magnitude. The forest also introduces a large scatter in RM for different lines-of-sight with a highly non-gaussian tail that renders the variance and the mean RM impractical for setting limits. The $median|{\rm RM}|$ is a better statistical indicator which we use to derive the following limits using the observed RM for QSOs between $z = 0$ and $z = 2.5$. We set $Ω_b h^2 = 0.02$ and get for cosmological fields coherent accross the present horizon, $B_{H_0^{-1}} \la 10^{-9}$ G in the case of a Ly-$α$ forest which is stronger than the limit for a homogeneous universe, $B_{H_0^{-1}}^h \la 2 \times 10^{-8}$ G; while for 50 Mpc coherence length, the inhomogeneous case gives $B_{50 {\rm Mpc}} \la 6 \times 10^{-9}$ G while the homogeneous limit is $B_{50 {\rm Mpc}}^h \la 10^{-7}$ G and for coherence length equal to the Jeans length, $B_{λ_J} \la 10^{-8}$ G for the Ly-$α$ case while $B_{λ_J}^h \la 10^{-6}$ G.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1998

Cosmological Magnetic Fields

We discuss the evolution of cosmological magnetic fields from the early universe to the present. We review different scenarios for magnetogenesis in the early universe and follow the subsequent evolution of these fields as the universe recombines. We then focus on the role primordial fields play after recombination in the seeding of stellar and galactic fields and the formation of structure. Cosmological magnetic fields in the intergalactic medium trace the turbulent history of the universe and may contain fossils of the early universe. We conclude by discussing observational probes of cosmological magnetic fields including the study of extragalactic cosmic rays.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1998

A Magnetized Local Supercluster and the Origin of the Highest Energy Cosmic Rays

A sufficiently magnetized Local Supercluster can explain the spectrum and angular distribution of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. We show that the spectrum of extragalactic cosmic rays with energies below $\sim 10^{20}$ eV may be due to the diffusive propagation in the Local Supercluster with fields of $\sim 10^{-8} - 10^{-7}$ Gauss. Above $\sim 10^{20}$ eV, cosmic rays propagate in an almost rectilinear way which is evidenced by the change in shape of the spectrum at the highest energies. The fit to the spectrum requires that at least one source be located relatively nearby at $\sim 10-15$ Mpc away from the Milky Way. We discuss the origin of magnetic fields in the Local Supercluster and the observable predictions of this model.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1997

Constraints on the Production of Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic Rays by Isolated Neutron Stars

The energetics, spectrum, and composition of cosmic rays with energies below about $10^{15}$ eV are fairly well explained by models involving supernova shocks. In contrast, no widely accepted theory exists for the origin of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs), which have energies above $10^{15}$ eV. Instead of proposing a specific model, here we place strong constraints on any model of UHECRs involving isolated neutron stars (no companions). We consider the total power requirements and show that the only viable power source associated with isolated neutron stars is rotation. Mechanisms based on accretion from the interstellar medium fall short of the necessary power despite the most optimistic assumptions. Power considerations also demonstrate that not enough rotational energy is tapped by a "propeller"-like acceleration of interstellar matter. The most promising source of energy is rotational spindown via magnetic braking. We examine microphysical energy loss processes near magnetized neutron stars and conclude that the most likely site for yielding UHECRs from isolated neutron stars is near or beyond the light cylinder.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1997

Ultra-high energy cosmic ray sources and large scale magnetic fields

Protons of energies up to 10**20 eV can be subject to significant deflection and energy dependent time delay in lage scale extragalactic or halo magnetic fields of strengths comparable to current upper limits. By performing 3-dimensional Monte Carlo simulations of nucleon propagation, we show how observations of arrival direction and time distributions can be used to measure the structure and strength of large-scale magnetic fields, and constrain the nature of the source of ultra-high energy cosmic rays.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1997

Maximum Likelihood Analysis of Clusters of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays

We present a numerical code designed to conduct a likelihood analysis for clusters of nucleons above 10**19 eV originating from discrete astrophysical sources such as powerful radio galaxies, gamma-ray bursts or topological defects. The code simulates the propagation of nucleons in a large-scale magnetic field and constructs the likelihood of a given observed event cluster as a function of the average time delay due to deflection in the magnetic field, the source activity time scale, the total fluence of the source, and the power law index of the particle injection spectrum. Other parameters such as the coherence length and the power spectrum of the magnetic field are also considered. We apply it to the three pairs of events above 4X10**19 eV recently reported by the Akeno Giant Air Shower Array (AGASA) experiment, assuming that these pairs were caused by nucleon primaries which originated from a common source. Although current data are too sparse to fully constrain each of the parameters considered, and/or to discriminate models of the origin of ultra-high energy cosmic rays, several tendencies are indicated. If the clustering suggested by AGASA is real, next generation experiments with their increased exposure should detect more than 10 particles per source over a few years and our method will put strong constraints on both the large-scale magnetic field parameters and the nature of these sources.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1996

Constraints on the Strength of Primordial Magnetic Fields from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis Revisited

In this paper, we revisit in detail the effects of primordial magnetic fields on big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) including a discussion of the magnetic field geometry and the anomalous magnetic moment. The presence of magnetic fields affects BBN by (1) increasing the weak reaction rates; (2) increasing the electron density due to changes to the electron phase space; and (3) by increasing the expansion rate of the universe, due both to the magnetic field energy density and to the modified electron energy density. Of the effects considered, the increase in the expansion rate due to the magnetic field energy is the most significant for the interests of BBN. The allowed magnetic field intensity at the end of nucleosynthesis (0.01 MeV) is about $2 \times 10^{9}$G and corresponds to an upper limit on the magnetic field energy density of about 28\% of the neutrino energy density ($ρ_B \le 0.28 ρ_ν$).

astro-ph↗