The Energy Spectra and Relative Abundances of Electrons and Positrons in the Galactic Cosmic Radiation
Open Access
- 10 May 1998
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Astronomical Society in The Astrophysical Journal
- Vol. 498 (2) , 779-789
- https://doi.org/10.1086/305573
Abstract
Observations of cosmic-ray electrons and positrons have been made with a new balloon-borne detector, the High-Energy Antimatter Telescope (HEAT), which was first flown in 1994 May from Fort Sumner, New Mexico. We describe the instrumental approach and the data analysis procedures, and we present results from this flight. The measurement has provided a new determination of the individual energy spectra of electrons and positrons from 5 GeV to about 50 GeV and of the combined "all-electron" intensity (e+ + e-) up to ~100 GeV. The single power-law spectral indices for electrons and positrons are α = 3.09 ± 0.08 and 3.3 ± 0.2, respectively. We find that a contribution from primary sources to the positron intensity in this energy region, if it exists, must be quite small.Keywords
All Related Versions
This publication has 27 references indexed in Scilit:
- The High-Energy Antimatter Telescope (HEAT): An instrument for the study of cosmic-ray positronsNuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 1997
- Measurements of the Cosmic-Ray Positron Fraction from 1 to 50 G[CLC]e[/CLC]VThe Astrophysical Journal, 1997
- Cosmic Ray Positrons at High Energies: A New MeasurementPhysical Review Letters, 1995
- Cosmic ray positrons connected with galactic gamma radiation of high and very high energiesJournal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics, 1991
- A measurement of the absolute flux of cosmic-ray electronsThe Astrophysical Journal, 1984
- On the sources of cosmic ray electronsThe Astrophysical Journal, 1979
- Measurement of primary cosmic-ray electrons and positrons from 4 to 50 GeVThe Astrophysical Journal, 1975
- The efficient identification of relativistic particles by transition radiationNuclear Instruments and Methods, 1974
- Charge Composition and Energy Spectrum of Primary Cosmic-Ray ElectronsThe Astrophysical Journal, 1969
- East-west asymmetry and charge sign ratio of primary cosmic-ray electrons at 8.3 GV rigidity cut-offLettere al Nuovo Cimento (1971-1985), 1969