Mechanism for spectral break in cosmic ray proton spectrum of supernova remnant W44

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 2; no. 1; p. 194
• Main Authors: Malkov, M. A, Diamond, P. H, Sagdeev, R. Z
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Nature Publishing Group 15.02.2011
• Subjects: Acceleration; Astronomy; Cosmic Radiation; Models, Theoretical; Protons; Stars, Celestial - chemistry

Recent observations of supernova remnant W44 by the Fermi spacecraft observatory support the idea that the bulk of galactic cosmic rays is accelerated in such remnants by a Fermi mechanism, also known as diffusive shock acceleration. However, the W44 expands into weakly ionized dense gas, and so a s...