arXiv subjects

Domenik Ehlert

Publications and source records attributed to Domenik Ehlert.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Implications of a Cosmogenic Origin of KM3-230213A for Ultra-High-Energy Protons

A significant neutrino event with an estimated energy between $72\,\mathrm{PeV}$ and $2.6\,\mathrm{EeV}$ was recently observed by the KM3NeT experiment (KM3-230213A). When interpreted as cosmogenic in origin, this event can provide constraints on several phenomenological parameters of UHE proton sources. In this study, we present the best fit to the spectrum and composition of UHECRs that is consistent with multi-messenger constraints, including the detection of a single neutrino event by the KM3NeT detector in the energy range of KM3-230213A. From the best fit, we obtain the 68\% CL constraints on the parameters of a two-population model of UHECRs, comprising a mixed-composition population and a subdominant UHE proton population. Our results indicate that the detection of a single neutrino event in the energy range of KM3-230213A solely with the KM3NeT exposure requires strongly evolving UHE proton sources, consistent with high-luminosity active galactic nuclei. On the other hand, including the null observations from the Pierre Auger and IceCube observatories disfavors such strong evolution. In both cases, the observed proton fraction of UHECRs is primarily constrained by the composition data to be $\sim 20\%$ at $20\,\mathrm{EeV}$.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Ultra-high-energy cosmic rays from ultra-fast outflows of active galactic nuclei

We investigate ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) in active galactic nuclei (AGN) as potential sources of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). We focus on cosmic-ray nuclei, an aspect not explored previously. These large-scale, mildly-relativistic outflows, characterised by velocities up to half the speed of light, are a common feature of AGN. We study the cosmic-ray spectrum and maximum energy attainable in these environments with 3D CRPropa simulations and apply our method to 86 observed UFOs. Iron nuclei can be accelerated up to $\sim10^{20}\,$eV at the wind-termination shock in some UFOs, but the escaping flux is strongly attenuated due to photonuclear interactions with intense AGN photon fields. The maximum energy of nuclei escaping a typical UFO is limited by photodisintegration to below $\sim 10^{17}\,$eV. However, in the most extreme $5-10\%$ of UFOs, helium (nitrogen) [iron] nuclei can escape with energy exceeding $10^{17.4}$ ($10^{17.8}$) $[10^{18.4}]\,$eV. Protons and neutrons, either primaries or by-products of photodisintegration, escape UFOs with little attenuation, with half of the observed UFOs reaching energies exceeding $10^{18}\,$eV. Thus, UFOs emerge as viable sources of the diffuse cosmic-ray flux between the end of the Galactic cosmic-rays and the highest-energy extragalactic flux. For a few UFOs in our sample, nuclei escape without photodisintegration with energy up to $10^{19.8}\,$eV. This occurs during low-emission states of the AGN, which would make UFOs intermittent sources of UHECR nuclei up to the highest observed energies. The role of UFOs as UHECR sources is testable with neutrino telescopes due to a substantial accompanying flux of PeV neutrinos.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Constraints on the proton fraction of cosmic rays at the highest energies and the consequences for cosmogenic neutrinos and photons

Over the last decade, observations have shown that the mean mass of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) increases progressively toward the highest energies. However, the precise composition is still unknown, and several theoretical studies hint at the existence of a subdominant proton component up to the highest energies. Motivated by the exciting prospect of performing charged-particle astronomy with ultra-high-energy (UHE) protons we quantify the level of UHE-proton flux that is compatible with present multimessenger observations and the associated fluxes of neutral messengers produced in the interactions of the protons. We study this scenario with numerical simulations of two independent populations of extragalactic sources and perform a fit to the combined UHECR energy spectrum and composition observables, constrained by diffuse gamma-ray and neutrino observations. We find that up to of order $10\%$ of the cosmic rays at the highest energies can be UHE protons, although the result depends critically on the selected hadronic interaction model for the air showers. Depending on the maximum proton energy ($E_\text{max}^\text{p}$) and the redshift evolution of sources, the associated flux of cosmogenic neutrinos and UHE gamma rays can significantly exceed the multimessenger signal of the mixed-mass cosmic rays. Moreover, if $E_\text{max}^\text{p}$ is above the GZK limit, we predict a large flux of UHE neutrinos above EeV energies that is absent in alternate scenarios for the origin of UHECRs. We present the implications and opportunities afforded by these UHE proton, neutrino and photon fluxes for future multimessenger observations.

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arXiv2023

Curious case of the maximum rigidity distribution of cosmic-ray accelerators

In many models, the sources of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) are assumed to accelerate particles to the same maximum energy. Motivated by the fact that candidate astrophysical accelerators exhibit a vast diversity in terms of their relevant properties such as luminosity, Lorentz factor, and magnetic field strength, we study the compatibility of a population of sources with non-identical maximum cosmic-ray energies with the observed energy spectrum and composition of UHECRs at Earth. For this purpose, we compute the UHECR spectrum emerging from a population of sources with a power-law, or broken-power-law, distribution of maximum energies, applicable to a broad range of astrophysical scenarios. We find that the allowed source-to-source variance of the maximum energy must be small to describe the data if a power-law distribution is considered. Even in the most extreme scenario, with a very sharp cutoff of individual source spectra and negative redshift evolution of the accelerators, the maximum energies of 90\% of sources must be identical within a factor of three -- in contrast to the variance expected for astrophysical sources. Substantial variance of the maximum energy in the source population is only possible if the maximum energies follow a broken power-law distribution with a very steep spectrum above the break. However, in this scenario, the individual source energy spectra are required to be unusually hard with increasing energy output as a function of energy.

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