Cosmic Rays and the Monogem Supernova Remnant

Abstract

Recent findings indicate that the Monogem Ring supernova remnant (SNR) and the associated pulsar B0656+14 may be the 'Single Source' responsible for the knee in the cosmic ray (CR) energy spectrum at ~3 PeV. We estimate the contribution of this pulsar to CR in the PeV region. We conclude that although the pulsar can contribute to the formation of the knee, it cannot be the domimant source and a SNR is still needed. We also examine the possibility of the pulsar giving the peak of the extensive air shower (EAS) intensity observed from the region inside the Monogem Ring. If the experimental EAS results concerning a narrow source are confirmed, they can be important, since they give evidence: (i) for the acceleration of protons and heavier nuclei by the pulsar; (ii) for the existence of the confinement mechanism in SNR; (iii) that CR produced by the Monogem Ring SNR and associated pulsar B0656+14 were released recently giving rise to the formation of the knee and the observed narrow peak in the EAS intensity; (iv) for the Monogem Ring and the associated pulsar B0656+14 being identified as the Single Source proposed in our Single Source Model of the knee. A number of predictions of the examined scenario are made.

24 pages, 7 figures, accepted by Astroparticle Physics

References in corpus (7)

• The Most Likely Sources of High Energy Cosmic-Ray Electrons in Supernova Remnants
• Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays from Young Neutron Star Winds
• An unidentified TeV source in the vicinity of Cygnus OB2
• Pulsar PSR B0656+14, the Monogem Ring, and the Origin of the `Knee' in the Primary Cosmic Ray Spectrum
• Properties of the Interstellar Medium and the Propagation of Cosmic Rays in the Galaxy
• High-energy cosmic gamma rays from the `Single Source'
• Models for the Origin of the Knee in the Cosmic-Ray Spectrum

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• All-particle primary energy spectrum in the 3-200 PeV energy range
• Escape model for Galactic cosmic rays and an early extragalactic transition
• Explaining the Spectra of Cosmic Ray Groups above the Knee by Escape from the Galaxy
• Signatures of the extragalactic cosmic-ray source composition from spectrum and shower depth measurements
• Cosmic ray positrons from a local, middle-aged supernova remnant
• Contribution of a nearby Pulsar to Cosmic Rays observed at Earth
• High Energy Processes in Pulsar Wind Nebulae
• The Origin of Cosmic Rays
• Observation of PeV Gamma Rays from the Monogem Ring with the Tibet Air Shower Array
• A search for outstanding sources of PeV cosmic rays: Cassiopeia A, the Crab Nebula, the Monogem Ring--But how about M33 and the Virgo cluster?
• Cosmic ray antiprotons and the Single Source model
• Models and phenomenology
• Detection of an optical filament in the Monogem Ring
• A search for small and medium scale anisotropy of cosmic rays above 1 PeV registered at the Tunka-133 array