Ultrahigh energy cosmic rays, pulsars, and supernovae

Séminaire IPAG de Kumiko Kotera (IAP), jeudi 10 octobre 2013 à 11h00, IPAG seminar room

The origin of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECRs, particles arriving on the Earth with energy 10^17- 10^21 eV) is still a mystery. Candidate sources range from the birth of pulsars to explosions related to long-duration gamma-ray bursts or to events in active galactic nuclei. Young pulsars have been scarcely discussed as sources of UHECRs in the literature. However, the production of UHECRs in these objects could give a picture that is surprisingly consistent with the latest data measured with the Auger Observatory. I will discuss the production of UHECRs in pulsars : i.e., the acceleration of UHECRs in pulsar winds and at the termination shock and their escape from their surrounding environment. I will compare the propagated UHECR observables from the pulsar population with the available data. Finally, I will discuss signatures of such a scenario, that one could find in the diffusive neutrino backgrounds and in the lightcurves of supernovae.