Can high energy cosmic rays be vortons ?

Abstract

A simple model is exhibited in which the remnant density of charged vortons is used to provide candidates for explaining the observed ultra high energy cosmic rays (above $10^{20}$ eV). These vortons would be accelerated in active galaxies and propagated through intergalactic medium with negligible losses of energy. The expected number density of observable events is shown to be consistent with extrapolation of the observations. The spectrum is predicted to be spatially isotropic while its shape is that of an atomic excitation-ionisation, i.e. with a few peaks followed by a continuum; there is also an energy threshold below which no vorton is visible.

ReVTeX, 10 pages including 2 eps figures

References in corpus (2)

• Dynamical instability criterion for circular (vorton) string loops
• Mechanics of cosmic rings

Cited by in corpus (16)

• Origin and Propagation of Extremely High Energy Cosmic Rays
• Extremely high energy cosmic rays from relic particle decays
• Cosmic Structure Formation with Topological Defects
• Signatures of Topological Defects
• Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays: The state of the art before the Auger Observatory
• Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays: The theoretical challenge
• Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays: A Probe of Physics and Astrophysics at Extreme Energies
• Vorton Existence and Stability
• Cosmic Rays from Decaying Vortons
• Extensive Air Showers from Ultra High Energy Gluinos
• Moduli from Cosmic Strings
• Current-carrying cosmic string loops 3D simulation: towards a reduction of the vorton excess problem
• Bound states in monopoles: sources for UHECR ?
• Irreducible cosmic production of relic vortons
• Self-Dual Cosmic Strings and Gravitating Vortices in Gauged Sigma Models
• Current induction and macroscopic forces for superconducting strings