What could we learn from a sharply falling positron fraction?
- Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris UMR7095—CNRS, Université Pierre and Marie Curie, 98 bis Boulevard Arago, F-75014 Paris (France)
Recent results from the AMS-02 data have confirmed that the cosmic-ray positron fraction increases with energy between 10 and 200 GeV. This quantity should not exceed 50%, and it is hence expected that it will either converge toward 50% or fall. We study the possibility that future data may show the positron fraction dropping down abruptly to the level expected with only secondary production, and forecast the implications of such a feature in term of possible injection mechanisms that include both dark matter and pulsars. Were a sharp steepening to be found, rather surprisingly, we conclude that pulsar models would do at least as well as dark matter scenarios in terms of accounting for any spectral cut-off.
- OSTI ID:
- 22370370
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 794, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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