Astronomy and Astrophysics Seminars

Ultra high energy particles and cosmic ray electrons/positrons, from massive star explosions

by Prof. Prof. Peter L. Biermann (Prof. Peter L. Biermann University Bonn, USA)

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 from to (Asia/Kolkata)
at Colaba Campus ( AG-66 )
Description
Particles near 1020 eV are the most energetic particles known to us in the universe, also called ultra high energy cosmic rays. Events have been detected of an energy up to 3 x 1020 eV, which is a macroscopic energy.  Independently, new components of cosmic ray electrons and positrons have been detected. Here we attribute all of these particles to the acceleration of charged  particles in magnetic stellar winds: Considering all of 4 π around a star with such a wind, over most of 4 π the magnetic field is nearly tangential, while in a polar cap the magnetic field is radial.  This leads for the polar cap component to a flatter spectrum, and also to more interaction. This in turn gives enhanced production of secondary particles such as positrons. The now abundant observations are readily and quantitatively interpreted with the action in magnetic stellar winds.  On the other hand, when two galaxies merge, and their central black holes then also merge, the resulting spin of the final black hole is flipped around: Then a newly oriented relativistic jet can race through a region of a starburst induced as a first stage of the merger, when many massive stars form and explode. This propels the polar cap components of cosmic rays to very much higher energy, while obeying at the same time the Poynting flux limit constraint for active galactic nuclei.  This then may explain the Auger data as due to the action of the relativistic jet in the radio galaxy Cen A.  Coming from both low energy and high energy, we thus may have a contribution to a coherent and quantitative physical theory for the origin of cosmic rays.
Organised by Magnes Johny S