Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays: Anisotropies and Spectrum

TL;DR

This paper explores how local and distant sources influence ultra high energy cosmic ray flux, using a simple model to analyze anisotropies and potential source correlations based on recent Pierre Auger Observatory data.

Contribution

It introduces a straightforward model to assess the impact of local source distribution on cosmic ray flux and anisotropies, considering both uniform and point sources.

Findings

Local source distribution affects flux anisotropies

Correlation with nearby objects influences observed patterns

Model aligns with recent Auger data

Abstract

The recent results of the Pierre Auger Observatory on the possible correlation of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays events and several nearby discrete sources could be the starting point of a new era with charged particles astronomy. In this paper we introduce a simple model to determine the effects of any local distribution of sources on the expected flux. We consider two populations of sources: faraway sources uniformly distributed and local point sources. We study the effects on the expected flux of the local distribution of sources, referring also to the set of astrophysical objects whose correlation with the Auger events is experimentally claimed.