A Method of Measuring Cosmic Magnetic Fields with Ultra High Energy Cosmic Ray Data

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel autocorrelation method leveraging directional and energy data of ultra high energy cosmic rays to measure cosmic magnetic fields without prior source knowledge.

Contribution

It presents a new approach combining autocorrelation analysis with simulations to estimate cosmic magnetic fields from UHECR data.

Findings

Method successfully reconstructs magnetic field parameters from simulated data.

Autocorrelation analysis sensitive to source number and magnetic field strength.

Provides a framework for future empirical measurements of cosmic magnetic fields.

Abstract

We present a method to measure cosmic magnetic fields with ultra high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). We apply an advanced autocorrelation method to simulated UHECRs which includes their directional as well as energy information. Without explicit knowledge of the UHECR sources, such measurements are sensitive to the number of sources and to the magnetic field strength subjected to the UHECRs. Using a UHECR Monte Carlo model including sources, random walk propagation and a coherent deflection, we explain the procedure of reconstructing the allowed phase space of the model parameters from a simulated autocorrelation measurement.