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Issue A&A
Volume 452, Number 3, June IV 2006
Page(s) L19 - L22
Section Letters
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20065293



A&A 452, L19-L22 (2006)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20065293

Letter

On the viability of holistic cosmic-ray source models

J. Aublin and E. Parizot

Institut de Physique Nucléaire d'Orsay, IN2P3-CNRS/Université Paris-Sud, 91406 Orsay Cedex, France
    e-mail: parizot@ipno.in2p3.fr

(Received 28 March 2006 / Accepted 21 April 2006)

Abstract
We consider the energy spectrum of cosmic-rays (CRs) from a purely phenomenological point of view and investigate the possibility that they all be produced by the same type of sources with a single power-law spectrum, in E-x, from thermal to ultra-high energies. We show that the relative fluxes of the Galactic (GCR) and extra-galactic (EGCR) components are compatible with such a holistic model, provided that the index of the source spectrum be $x \simeq 2.23\pm 0.07$. This is compatible with the best-fit indices for both GCRs and EGCRs, assuming that their source composition is the same, which is indeed the case in a holistic model. It is also compatible with theoretical expectations for particle acceleration at relativistic shocks.


Key words: cosmic rays -- acceleration of particles



© ESO 2006

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