Ultraheavy cosmic rays

MAY 01, 1975

The distribution of the high‐Z nuclei, the youngest elements in the Galaxy, can help us understand the synthesis of matter in exploding stars and its interactions en route to Earth.

DOI: 10.1063/1.3068964

Martin H. Israel

P. Buford Price

C. Jake Waddington

Ultraheavy cosmic‐ray nuclei, those with atomic number over thirty, constitute less than about one in $10^{7}$ of the relativistic particles that stream through our solar system, yet they promise to lead to a major contribution in our understanding of the complex phenomena of the cosmic‐ray gas that pervades interstellar space. The study of these nuclei should advance our understanding of the sources of cosmic rays as well as of the nature of the physical processes that influence the particles after their acceleration. This work is greatly accelerating with the advent of satellite experiments, such as the Skylab mission pictured in figure 1.

References

1. R. M. Walker, R. L. Fleischer, P. B. Price, post‐deadline talk presented at the Ninth International Cosmic Ray Conference (London, 1965);
R. L. Fleischer, P. B. Price, R. M. Walker, M. Maurette, G. Morgan, J. Geophys. Res. 72, 355 (1967).https://doi.org/JGREA2
2. P. H. Fowler, R. A. Adams, V. G. Cowen, J. M. Kidd, Proc. Roy. Soc. (London) A 301, 39 (1967); https://doi.org/PRLAAZ
P. H. Fowler, V. M. Clapham, V. G. Cowen, J. M. Kidd, R. T. Moses, Proc. Roy. Soc. (London) A 318, 1 (1970).https://doi.org/PRLAAZ
3. P. B. Price, R. L. Fleischer, D. D. Peterson, C. O’Ceallaigh, D. O’Sullivan, A. Thompson, Phys. Rev. 164, 1618 (1967); https://doi.org/PHRVAO
P. B. Price, R. L. Fleischer, D. D. Peterson, C. O’Ceallaigh, D. O’Sullivan, A. Thompson, Phys. Rev. Lett. 21, 630 (1968).https://doi.org/PRLTAO
4. P. Meyer, R. Ramaty, W. R. Webber, PHYSICS TODAY, October 1974, page 23.
5. A. G. W. Cameron, Space Science Reviews 15, 121 (1973).https://doi.org/SPSRA4
6. D. D. Clayton, Principles of Stellar Evolution and Nucleosynthesis, McGraw‐Hill (1968), chapter 7.
7. W. D. Arnett, D. N. Schramm, Astrophys. J. Lett. 184, L47 (1973).https://doi.org/AJLEAU
8. J. B. Blake, D. N. Schramm, Astrophysics and Space Science 30, 275 (1974).https://doi.org/APSSBE
9. J. R. Nix, PHYSICS TODAY, April 1972, page 30.
10. R. R. Chasman, Phys. Rev. Lett. 33, 544 (1974).https://doi.org/PRLTAO
11. W. M. Howard, J. R. Nix, Nature 247, 17 (1974).https://doi.org/NATUAS
12. J. W. Epstein, J. J. Fernandez, M. H. Israel, J. Klarmann, R. A. Mewaldt, W. R. Binns, Nuclear Inst. and Meth. 95, 77 (1971).https://doi.org/NUIMAL
13. G. E. Blanford, M. W. Friedlander, J. Klarmann, R. M. Walker, J. P. Wefel, W. C. Wells, R. L. Fleischer, G. E. Nichols, P. B. Price, Phys. Rev. Lett. 23, 338 (1969); https://doi.org/PRLTAO
P. B. Price, P. H. Fowler, J. M. Kidd, E. J. Kobetich, R. L. Fleischer, G. E. Nichols, Phys. Rev. D 3, 815 (1971); https://doi.org/PRVDAQ
G. E. Blanford, M. W. Friedlander, J. Klarmann, S. S. Pomeroy, R. M. Walker, J. P. Wefel, P. H. Fowler, J. M. Kidd, E. J. Kobetich, R. T. Moses, R. T. Thorne, Phys. Rev. D 8, 1707 (1973); https://doi.org/PRVDAQ
G. E. Blanford, M. W. Friedlander, J. Klarmann, R. M. Walker, J. P. Wefel, Phys. Rev. D 8, 1722 (1973).https://doi.org/PRVDAQ
14. G. E. Blanford, M. W. Friedlander, J. Klarmann, S. S. Pomeroy, R. M. Walker, J. P. Wefel, J. Geophys. Res. 77, 6037 (1972).https://doi.org/JGREA2
15. D. O’Sullivan, P. B. Price, E. K. Shirk, P. H. Fowler, J. M. Kidd, E. J. Kobetich, R. Thorne, Phys. Rev. Lett. 26, 463 (1971); https://doi.org/PRLTAO
E. K. Shirk, P. B. Price, E. J. Kobetich, W. Z. Osborne, L. S. Pinsky, R. D. Eandi, R. B. Rushing, Phys. Rev. D 7, 3220 (1973); https://doi.org/PRVDAQ
W. Z. Osborne, L. S. Pinsky, E. K. Shirk, P. B. Price, E. J. Kobetich, R. D. Eandi, Phys. Rev. Lett. 31, 127 (1973); https://doi.org/PRLTAO
P. H. Fowler, R. T. Thorne, A. P. Muzumdar, C. O’Ceallaigh, D. O’Sullivan, Y. V. Rao, A. Thompson, Proceedings of the 13th International Cosmic Ray Conference (University of Denver) 5, 3239 (1973).
16. P. A. Fowler, Proceedings of the 13th International Cosmic Ray Conference 5, 3627 (1973).
17. E. K. Shirk, P. B. Price, submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett.
18. W. R. Binns, J. I. Fernandez, M. H. Israel, J. Klarmann, R. C. Maehl, R. A. Mewaldt, Proceedings of the 13th International Cosmic Ray Conference 1, 260 (1973).

More about the Authors

Martin H. Israel. Associate Professor of Physics, Washington University, St. Louis.

P. Buford Price. Professor of Physics, University of California, Berkeley.

C. Jake Waddington. Professor of Physics, University of Minnesota.