Perspective on the cosmic-ray electron spectrum above TeV

TL;DR

This paper reviews the current understanding of the cosmic-ray electron spectrum above TeV, emphasizing the potential for future observations by DAMPE to reveal spectral features indicative of local sources like supernova remnants.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of astrophysical source models and discusses the potential for DAMPE to detect spectral features above TeV related to local cosmic ray sources.

Findings

AMS-02 data supports a power-law spectrum without features above 10 GeV

DAMPE's high energy resolution can identify spectral features above TeV

Local sources like Vela could produce detectable spectral signatures

Abstract

The AMS-02 has measured the cosmic ray electron (plus positron) spectrum up to ~TeV with an unprecedent precision. The spectrum can be well described by a power law without any obvious features above 10 GeV. The satellite instrument Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE), which was launched a year ago, will measure the electron spectrum up to 10 TeV with a high energy resolution. The cosmic electrons beyond TeV may be attributed to few local cosmic ray sources, such as supernova remnants. Therefore, spectral features, such as cutoff and bumps, can be expected at high energies. In this work we give a careful study on the perspective of the electron spectrum beyond TeV. We first examine our astrophysical source models on the latest leptonic data of AMS-02 to give a self-consistent picture. Then we focus on the discussion about the candidate sources which could be electron contributors above TeV. Depending on the properties of the local sources (especially on the nature of Vela), DAMPE may detect interesting features in the electron spectrum above TeV in the future.