Semantic Scholar Open Access 2016 129 sitasi

A large light-mass component of cosmic rays at 1017–1017.5 electronvolts from radio observations

S. Buitink A. Corstanje H. Falcke J. Horandel T. Huege +175 lainnya

Lihat Sumber DOI

Abstrak

Cosmic rays are the highest-energy particles found in nature. Measurements of the mass composition of cosmic rays with energies of 1017–1018 electronvolts are essential to understanding whether they have galactic or extragalactic sources. It has also been proposed that the astrophysical neutrino signal comes from accelerators capable of producing cosmic rays of these energies. Cosmic rays initiate air showers—cascades of secondary particles in the atmosphere—and their masses can be inferred from measurements of the atmospheric depth of the shower maximum (Xmax; the depth of the air shower when it contains the most particles) or of the composition of shower particles reaching the ground. Current measurements have either high uncertainty, or a low duty cycle and a high energy threshold. Radio detection of cosmic rays is a rapidly developing technique for determining Xmax (refs 10, 11) with a duty cycle of, in principle, nearly 100 per cent. The radiation is generated by the separation of relativistic electrons and positrons in the geomagnetic field and a negative charge excess in the shower front. Here we report radio measurements of Xmax with a mean uncertainty of 16 grams per square centimetre for air showers initiated by cosmic rays with energies of 1017–1017.5 electronvolts. This high resolution in Xmax enables us to determine the mass spectrum of the cosmic rays: we find a mixed composition, with a light-mass fraction (protons and helium nuclei) of about 80 per cent. Unless, contrary to current expectations, the extragalactic component of cosmic rays contributes substantially to the total flux below 1017.5 electronvolts, our measurements indicate the existence of an additional galactic component, to account for the light composition that we measured in the 1017–1017.5 electronvolt range.

Topik & Kata Kunci

Physics Medicine

Penulis (180)

S. Buitink

A. Corstanje

H. Falcke

J. Horandel

T. Huege

A. Nelles

J. Rachen

L. Rossetto

P. Schellart

O. Scholten

S. Veen

S. Thoudam

T. Trinh

J. Anderson

A. Asgekar

I. Avruch

M. Bell

M. Bentum

G. Bernardi

P. Best

A. Bonafede

F. Breitling

J. Broderick

W. Brouw

M. Bruggen

H. Butcher

D. Carbone

B. Ciardi

J. Conway

F. Gasperin

E. D. Geus

A. Deller

R. Dettmar

G. V. Diepen

S. Duscha

J. Eisloffel

D. Engels

J. Enriquez

R. Fallows

R. Fender

C. Ferrari

W. Frieswijk

M. Garrett

J. Grießmeier

A. Gunst

M. V. Haarlem

T. Hassall

G. Heald

J. Hessels

M. Hoeft

A. Horneffer

M. Iacobelli

H. Intema

E. Juette

A. Karastergiou

V. Kondratiev

M. Kramer

M. Kuniyoshi

G. Kuper

J. V. Leeuwen

G. Loose

P. Maat

G. Mann

S. Markoff

R. McFadden

D. McKay-Bukowski

J. McKean

M. Mevius

D. Mulcahy

H. Munk

M. Norden

E. Orrú

H. Paas

M. Pandey-Pommier

V. Pandey

M. Piętka

R. Pizzo

A. Polatidis

W. Reich

H. Rottgering

A. Scaife

D. Schwarz

M. Serylak

J. Sluman

O. Smirnov

B. Stappers

M. Steinmetz

A. Stewart

J. Swinbank

M. Tagger

Y. Tang

C. Tasse

M. C. Toribio

R. Vermeulen

C. Vocks

C. Vogt

R. V. Weeren

R. Wijers

S. Wijnholds

M. Wise

O. Wucknitz

S. Yatawatta

P. Zarka

J. A. Z. A. Institute

V. U. Brussel

Department of AstrophysicsIMAPP

R. Nijmegen

Astron

N. F. F. R. Astronomy

Nikhef

Science Park Amsterdam

M. F. Radioastronomie

Ikp

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

D. Physics

Astronomy

U. C. Irvine

Kvi Cart

U. Groningen

D. 1. Potsdam

D. Gfz

Shell Technology Center

Sron Netherlands Institute for Space Research

K. Institute

Csiro Australia Telescope National Facility

University of Twente

H. C. F. Astrophysics

Ska South Africa

Institute for Astronomy

U. Edinburgh

U. Hamburg

Leibniz-Institut

S. O. Physics

U. Southampton

Research School for Astronomy

Astrophysics

Australian National University

A. S. M. F. Astronomy

U. Amsterdam

Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics

O. Observatory

Dept. of Earth

S. Sciences

C. U. Technology

BV SmarterVision

Astronomisches Institut der Ruhr-Universitat Bochum

Thuringer Landessternwarte

H. Sternwarte

Laboratoire Lagrange

Universit'e Cote d'Azur

L. Observatory

Leiden University

LPC2E - Universite d'OrleansCNRS

S. Nancay

O. D. P. -. Cnrsinsu

National Radio Astronomy Observatory

U. Oxford

A. Institute

National Space Development Agency of Japan

Japan Sodankyla Geophysical Observatory

U. Oulu

Stfc Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

Harwell Science

Innovation Campus

Center for Relativistic Astrophysics - Georgia Institute Technology

C. Lyon

Observatoire de Lyon

F. Physik

U. Bielefeld

Electronics

R. University

J. B. C. F. Astrophysics

The University of Manchester

D. Sciences

P. University.

Gepi

Observatoire de Paris

Cnrs

U. Diderot

Lesia

Format Sitasi

APA MLA BibTeX

Buitink, S., Corstanje, A., Falcke, H., Horandel, J., Huege, T., Nelles, A. et al. (2016). A large light-mass component of cosmic rays at 1017–1017.5 electronvolts from radio observations. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature16976

@article{buitink2016, author = {S. Buitink and A. Corstanje and H. Falcke and J. Horandel and T. Huege and A. Nelles and J. Rachen and L. Rossetto and P. Schellart and O. Scholten and S. Veen and S. Thoudam and T. Trinh and J. Anderson and A. Asgekar and I. Avruch and M. Bell and M. Bentum and G. Bernardi and P. Best and A. Bonafede and F. Breitling and J. Broderick and W. Brouw and M. Bruggen and H. Butcher and D. Carbone and B. Ciardi and J. Conway and F. Gasperin and E. D. Geus and A. Deller and R. Dettmar and G. V. Diepen and S. Duscha and J. Eisloffel and D. Engels and J. Enriquez and R. Fallows and R. Fender and C. Ferrari and W. Frieswijk and M. Garrett and J. Grießmeier and A. Gunst and M. V. Haarlem and T. Hassall and G. Heald and J. Hessels and M. Hoeft and A. Horneffer and M. Iacobelli and H. Intema and E. Juette and A. Karastergiou and V. Kondratiev and M. Kramer and M. Kuniyoshi and G. Kuper and J. V. Leeuwen and G. Loose and P. Maat and G. Mann and S. Markoff and R. McFadden and D. McKay-Bukowski and J. McKean and M. Mevius and D. Mulcahy and H. Munk and M. Norden and E. Orrú and H. Paas and M. Pandey-Pommier and V. Pandey and M. Piętka and R. Pizzo and A. Polatidis and W. Reich and H. Rottgering and A. Scaife and D. Schwarz and M. Serylak and J. Sluman and O. Smirnov and B. Stappers and M. Steinmetz and A. Stewart and J. Swinbank and M. Tagger and Y. Tang and C. Tasse and M. C. Toribio and R. Vermeulen and C. Vocks and C. Vogt and R. V. Weeren and R. Wijers and S. Wijnholds and M. Wise and O. Wucknitz and S. Yatawatta and P. Zarka and J. A. Z. A. Institute and V. U. Brussel and Department of AstrophysicsIMAPP and R. Nijmegen and Astron and N. F. F. R. Astronomy and Nikhef and Science Park Amsterdam and M. F. Radioastronomie and Ikp and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and D. Physics and Astronomy and U. C. Irvine and Kvi Cart and U. Groningen and D. 1. Potsdam and D. Gfz and Shell Technology Center and Sron Netherlands Institute for Space Research and K. Institute and Csiro Australia Telescope National Facility and University of Twente and H. C. F. Astrophysics and Ska South Africa and Institute for Astronomy and U. Edinburgh and U. Hamburg and Leibniz-Institut and S. O. Physics and U. Southampton and Research School for Astronomy and Astrophysics and Australian National University and A. S. M. F. Astronomy and U. Amsterdam and Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics and O. Observatory and Dept. of Earth and S. Sciences and C. U. Technology and BV SmarterVision and Astronomisches Institut der Ruhr-Universitat Bochum and Thuringer Landessternwarte and H. Sternwarte and Laboratoire Lagrange and Universit'e Cote d'Azur and L. Observatory and Leiden University and LPC2E - Universite d'OrleansCNRS and S. Nancay and O. D. P. -. Cnrsinsu and National Radio Astronomy Observatory and U. Oxford and A. Institute and National Space Development Agency of Japan and Japan Sodankyla Geophysical Observatory and U. Oulu and Stfc Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and Harwell Science and Innovation Campus and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics - Georgia Institute Technology and C. Lyon and Observatoire de Lyon and F. Physik and U. Bielefeld and Electronics and R. University and J. B. C. F. Astrophysics and The University of Manchester and D. Sciences and P. University. and Gepi and Observatoire de Paris and Cnrs and U. Diderot and Lesia}, title = {A large light-mass component of cosmic rays at 1017–1017.5 electronvolts from radio observations}, year = {2016}, journal = {Semantic Scholar}, doi = {10.1038/nature16976}, url = {https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/317aecdf4457942e0827e76529a0d71697b4ef47}, }

Akses Cepat

Lihat di Sumber doi.org/10.1038/nature16976

Informasi Jurnal

Tahun Terbit: 2016
Bahasa: en
Total Sitasi: 129×
Sumber Database: Semantic Scholar
DOI: 10.1038/nature16976
Akses: Open Access ✓