Universal properties of primary and secondary cosmic ray energy spectra

Abstract

Atomic nuclei appearing in cosmic rays are typically classified as primary or secondary. However, a better understanding of their origin and propagation properties is still necessary. We analyse the flux of primary (He, C, O) and secondary nuclei (Li, Be, B) detected with rigidity (momentum/charge) between 2 GV and 3 TV by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) on the International Space Station. We show that $q$-exponential distribution functions, as motivated by generalized versions of statistical mechanics with temperature fluctuations, provide excellent fits for the measured flux of all nuclei considered. Primary and secondary fluxes reveal a universal dependence on kinetic energy per nucleon for which the underlying energy distribution functions are solely distinguished by their effective degrees of freedom. All given spectra are characterized by a universal mean temperature parameter $\sim$ 200 MeV which agrees with the Hagedorn temperature. Our analysis suggests that QCD scattering processes together with nonequilibrium temperature fluctuations provide a plausible explanation for the observed universality in cosmic ray energy spectra. Our analysis suggests that QCD scattering processes together with nonequilibrium temperature fluctuations imprint universally onto the measured cosmic ray spectra, and produce a similar shape of energy spectra as high energy collider experiments on the Earth.

arXiv comment16 pages, 3 figures

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