Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays without Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin Cutoff

Journal Article · Mon Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1997 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.79.4302· OSTI ID:550563

Berezinsky, V; Kachelriess, M ^[1]; Vilenkin, A ^[2]

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1. INFN, Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, I-67010 Assergi (Antarctica) (Italy)
2. Institute of Cosmology, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155 (United States)

We study the decays of metastable superheavy particles as the source of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHE CR). These particles are assumed to constitute a tiny fraction {xi}{sub X} of cold dark matter in the Universe. The UHE CR fluxes produced at the decays of X particles are calculated. The dominant contribution is given by fluxes of photons and nucleons from the halo of our Galaxy and thus does not exhibit the GZK cutoff. The extragalactic components of UHE CR are suppressed by the smaller extragalactic density of X particles and, hence, the cascade limit is relaxed. We discuss the spectrum of produced extensive air showers and a signal from a Virgo cluster as signatures of this model. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}

• OSTI ID: 550563
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 22 Vol. 79; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

66 PHYSICS
COSMIC RADIATION
COSMIC RAY FLUX
DENSITY
EXTENSIVE AIR SHOWERS
GALAXIES
LIFETIME
PHOTONS
SPECTRA
UNIVERSE