Supernova Remnants as the Sources of Galactic Cosmic Rays

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent evidence supporting supernova remnants as the primary sources of Galactic cosmic rays, highlighting mechanisms of acceleration, magnetic-field amplification, and cosmic-ray escape.

Contribution

It synthesizes recent observational and theoretical work, emphasizing the role of supernova remnants in accelerating cosmic rays and their implications for cosmic-ray propagation.

Findings

Supernova remnants can efficiently accelerate cosmic rays.

Magnetic-field amplification occurs in remnants.

Cosmic-ray escape influences observed emissions.

Abstract

The origin of cosmic rays holds still many mysteries hundred years after they were first discovered. Supernova remnants have for long been the most likely sources of Galactic cosmic rays. I discuss here some recent evidence that suggests that supernova remnants can indeed efficiently accelerate cosmic rays. For this conference devoted to the Astronomical Institute Utrecht I put the emphasis on work that was done in my group, but placed in a broader context: efficient cosmic-ray acceleration and the im- plications for cosmic-ray escape, synchrotron radiation and the evidence for magnetic- field amplification, potential X-ray synchrotron emission from cosmic-ray precursors, and I conclude with the implications of cosmic-ray escape for a Type Ia remnant like Tycho and a core-collapse remnant like Cas A.