Séminaires communs des Masters
"Astrophysique"
et
"Physique Subatomique et Astroparticules"
Ultrahigh energy cosmic rays, pulsars and supernovae
par Kumiko Kotera (IAP)
Résumé
The origin of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECRs, particles arriving on the Earth with energy 10^17- 10^21 eV) is still a mystery. Candidate sources range from the birth of pulsars to explosions related to long-duration gamma-ray bursts or to events in active galactic nuclei. Young isolated millisecond pulsars have been scarcely discussed as sources of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECR) in the literature. However, the production of UHECRs in these objects could give a picture that is surprisingly consistent with the latest data measured with the Auger Observatory. These pulsars would be born in supernovae that could present interesting specific radiative features, due to the interaction of the pulsar wind with the surrounding ejecta. The resulting supernova could present a high luminosity plateau over a few years, and a bright X-ray and gamma-ray peak around one or two years after the onset of the explosion. If such signatures were observed, they could have important implications both for UHECR astrophysics and for the understanding of core-collapse supernovae.
