TeV sky versus AUGER one: are UHECR also radioactive, heavy galactic nuclei?

TL;DR

This paper explores the hypothesis that ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECR) are heavy radioactive galactic nuclei, proposing that their decay and interactions explain observed clustering, gamma correlations, and potential neutrino signals.

Contribution

It introduces the idea that UHECR may be heavy radioactive nuclei like Ni and Co, providing a new perspective on their origin, propagation, and associated gamma and neutrino signals.

Findings

UHECR clustering aligns with Cen A and galactic gamma sources.

Radioactive decay of heavy nuclei could produce TeV gamma anisotropies.

Potential neutrino signals from UHECR decay are discussed.

Abstract

UHECR (Ultra High Cosmic Rays) made by He-like lightest nuclei might solve the AUGER extragalactic clustering along Cen A: He UHECR cannot arrive from Virgo because the light nuclei fragility and opacity above few Mpc; UHECR signals are clustering along Cen-A spreading as observed by horizontal galactic arms magnetic fields, along random vertical angles [18]. Cen A events by He-like spread along a width angle as large as the observed clustered one. UHECR He, being fragile should partially fragment in secondaries at tens EeV multiplet (D,He3,p) almost as it occurs in the very recent UHECR multiplet at 20 EeV along Cen A UHECR clustering [23]. Their narrow crowding within a tiny (Cen A centric disk) observation area (below 10^{-2} of the whole AUGER sky) aligned with Cen A may occur by a very low probability, below 3 \dot 10^{-5}, see Fig. 1, 2,3, [23]. Remaining UHECR spread group show correlations with other gamma (MeV-Al^26 radioactive) maps, mainly due to galactic SNR sources as Vela pulsar, the brightest, nearest GeV source [20]. Other nearest galactic gamma sources (as partially Crab and Galactic Center core) show links with UHECR via TeV correlated maps, see Fig.7. We speculate here that UHECR are also heavy radioactive galactic nuclei as Ni^56, Ni^57 and Co^57,Co^60 widely bent (tens degree up to \geq 100{\deg}) by galactic fields. UHECR radioactivity (in beta,gamma channels) decay in flight at hundreds keV is boosted (by huge Lorentz factor \simeq 10^9 - 10^8) leading to TeVs gamma correlated sky anisotropy, see Fig.7. Tau neutrinos secondaries and their tau airshowers at horizons may rise (from hundreds TeVs-PeVs) in future ICECUBE,ANTARES [28], double bang events [29], or in ARGO and ASHRA [1] horizons or in AUGER or TA airshowers at PeVs-EeV energies, showing the expected Neutrino astronomy link to UHECR decay in flight.