The role of the Galactic Halo and the Single Source in the formation of the cosmic ray anisotropy
arXiv:1404.5918 · doi:10.1016/j.astropartphys.2014.04.007
Abstract
The existence of the cosmic ray Halo in our Galaxy has been discussed for more than half a century. If it is real it could help to explain some puzzling features of the cosmic ray flux: its small radial gradient, nearly perfect isotropy and the low level of the fine structure in the energy spectra of the various particles. All these features could be understood if: (a) the Halo has a big size (b) cosmic rays in the Halo have a unform spatial distribution and (c) the cosmic ray density in the Halo is comparable or even higher than that in the Galactic Disk. The main topic of the paper concerns the present status of the anisotropy and a model for its formation. In our model the extremely small amplitude of the dipole anisotropy is due to the dilution of the anisotropy in the Disk by the dominating isotropic cosmic rays from the Halo. Some minor deviations from complete isotropy in the sub-PeV and PeV energy regions point out to the possible contribution of the Single Source with the phase of its first harmonic opposite to the phase produced by the Disk.
11 pages, 2 figures, accepted by Astroparticle Physics
References in corpus (5)
- Observation of an anomalous positron abundance in the cosmic radiation
- Giant Gamma-ray Bubbles from Fermi-LAT: AGN Activity or Bipolar Galactic Wind?
- Discrepant hardening observed in cosmic-ray elemental spectra
- The cosmic-ray electron flux measured by the PAMELA experiment between 1 and 625 GeV
- Electrons and Positrons in Cosmic Rays