CRPropa: a public framework to propagate UHECRs in the universe

TL;DR

CRPropa is an open-source computational framework designed to simulate the propagation of ultra-high energy cosmic rays and secondary particles, incorporating advanced features like time dependence and magnetic field effects.

Contribution

The paper introduces CRPropa 3, a significantly improved and feature-rich version of the framework for simulating UHECR propagation in astrophysical environments.

Findings

Enhanced simulation accuracy with time-dependent propagation

Inclusion of galactic magnetic field effects

Improved interaction modeling

Abstract

To answer the fundamental questions concerning the origin and nature of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs), it is important to confront data with simulated astrophysical scenarios. These scenarios should include detailed information on particle interactions and astrophysical environments. To achieve this goal one should make use of computational tools to simulate the propagation of these particles. For this reason the CRPropa framework was developed. It allows the propagation of UHECRs with energies $\gtrsim$10$^{17}$ eV and secondary gamma rays and neutrinos. The newest version, CRPropa 3, reflects an efficient redesign of the code as well as several new features such as time dependent propagation in three dimensions, galactic magnetic field effects and improved treatment of interactions, among other enhancements.