Search for microquasar features in cosmic ray spectra with AMS-01
Name
58965763-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
4.17 MB
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Checksum (MD5)
bb53f85d1b4e05ae7f02626d56c9dd64
Author(s)
Monreal, Benjamin, 1977-
Advisor(s)
Peter H. Fisher.
Date Issued
2004
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Accreting x-ray binaries are sometimes observed to emit compact, relativistic jets of cool plasma; these objects are called "microquasars". It is possible that these jets are responsible for a large flux of galactic cosmic ray protons and nuclei. The energy spectrum from these sources will be very different from the featureless power-law expected from ordinary cosmic-ray acceleration in supernova shocks. The AMS-01 instrument measured cosmic ray protons and helium during 10 days on the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1998; we analyze this data searching for spectral distortions due to nearby microquasar activity. We show that the microquasar contribution to the CR proton flux can be no more than [approximately] 2% in the range 2-50 GeV.
Description
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 2004.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 97-102).
Subjects
Physics.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics
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