Low X-ray emission challenges supernovae remnants as the source of cosmic-ray electrons [HEAP]

http://arxiv.org/abs/1404.4924


The X-ray synchrotron emission of each of the young supernova-remnants (SNRs) SN1006, Kepler, Tycho, RCW86 and Cas A, is roughly given by $\nu L_{\nu}\sim 10^{45}\rm{erg}/t$, where $t$ is the remnant’s age. The electrons emitting the X-ray emission cool fast, implying that the X-ray emission is calorimetric and equal to half of the cosmic ray (CR) electron acceleration efficiency (per logarithmic interval of particle energies, at multi TeV energies). Assuming Sedov-Taylor expansion, the resulting CR electron yield per SNR is estimated to be $E^2dN_e/dE\approx 6\nu L_{\nu}t \sim 10^{46}\rm erg$. This is about two orders of magnitudes below the required amount for explaining the observed electron CRs at $E\sim 10\rm GeV$. Possible resolutions are 1. a soft acceleration spectrum allowing much more energy at $E\sim 10\rm GeV$ compared to $E\sim 10\rm TeV$, 2. an increased acceleration efficiency at later phases of the SNR evolution (unlikely), or 3. SNRs are not the source of CR electrons.

Read this paper on arXiv…

B. Katz
Tue, 22 Apr 14
25/54