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dc.contributor.authorVenter, C.
dc.contributor.authorKopp, A.
dc.contributor.authorBüsching, I.
dc.contributor.authorHarding, A.K.
dc.contributor.authorGonthier, P.L.
dc.date.accessioned2016-08-30T08:51:16Z
dc.date.available2016-08-30T08:51:16Z
dc.date.issued2015
dc.identifier.citationVenter, C. et al. 2015. Cosmic-ray positrons from millisecond pulsars. Astrophysical journal, 807(2): Article no 130. [https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/807/2/130]en_US
dc.identifier.issn0004-637X
dc.identifier.issn1538-4357 (Online)
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10394/18444
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/807/2/130
dc.identifier.urihttp://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0004-637X/807/2/130
dc.description.abstractObservations by the Fermi Large Area Telescope of γ-ray millisecond pulsar (MSP) light curves imply copious pair production in their magnetospheres, and not exclusively in those of younger pulsars. Such pair cascades may be a primary source of Galactic electrons and positrons, contributing to the observed enhancement in positron flux above ∼10 GeV. Fermi has also uncovered many newMSPs, impacting Galactic stellar population models.We investigate the contribution of Galactic MSPs to the flux of terrestrial cosmic-ray electrons and positrons. Our population synthesis code predicts the source properties of present-day MSPs. We simulate their pair spectra invoking an offset-dipole magnetic field. We also consider positrons and electrons that have been further accelerated to energies of several TeV by strong intrabinary shocks in black widow (BW) and redback (RB) systems. Since MSPs are not surrounded by pulsar wind nebulae or supernova shells, we assume that the pairs freely escape and undergo losses only in the intergalactic medium. We compute the transported pair spectra at Earth, following their diffusion and energy loss through the Galaxy. The predicted particle flux increases for non-zero offsets of the magnetic polar caps. Pair cascades from the magnetospheres of MSPs are only modest contributors around a few tens of GeV to the lepton fluxes measured by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, PAMELA, and Fermi, after which this component cuts off. The contribution by BWs and RBs may, however, reach levels of a few tens of percent at tens of TeV, depending on model parametersen_US
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherIOP Publishingen_US
dc.subjectCosmic raysen_US
dc.subjectpulsars: generalen_US
dc.subjectstars: neutronen_US
dc.titleCosmic-ray positrons from millisecond pulsarsen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
dc.contributor.researchID12006653 - Venter, Christo
dc.contributor.researchID24483818 - Kopp, Andreas
dc.contributor.researchID13235176 - Büsching, Ingo


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