Cosmic rays from thermal sources

TL;DR

This paper proposes a generalized statistical model using Tsallis statistics to explain the power-law energy spectrum and the 'knee' feature in cosmic rays, attributing it to fluctuations in the source temperature.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of Tsallis statistics to cosmic ray production, explaining spectral features through temperature fluctuation models.

Findings

Power-like cosmic ray spectrum explained by temperature fluctuations.

'Knee' feature linked to abrupt change in source fluctuations.

Model aligns with observed cosmic ray spectral behavior.

Abstract

Energy spectrum of cosmic rays (CR) exhibits power-like behavior with very characteristic "knee" structure. We consider a generalized statistical model for the production process of cosmic rays which accounts for such behavior in a natural way either by assuming existence of temperature fluctuations in the source of CR, or by assuming specific temperature distribution of CR sources. Both possibilities yield the so called Tsallis statistics and lead to the power-like distribution. We argue that the "knee" structure arises as result of abrupt change of fluctuations in the source of CR. Its possible origin is briefly discussed.