APS » PROLA » Phys. Rev. Lett. » Volume 86 » Issue 21

Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 4745 - 4748 (2001)

Plasmoid Impacts on Neutron Stars and Highest Energy Cosmic Rays
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C. Litwin and R. Rosner
Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, The University of Chicago, 5640 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60637

Received 6 April 2000

Particle acceleration by electrostatic polarization fields that arise in plasmas streaming across magnetic fields is discussed as a possible acceleration mechanism of highest energy (≳1020 eV) cosmic rays. Specifically, plasmoids arising in planetoid impacts onto neutron star magnetospheres are considered. We find that such impacts at plausible rates may account for the observed flux and energy spectrum of the highest energy cosmic rays.


©2001 The American Physical Society

URL: http://link.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v86/p4745
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.4745
PACS: 98.70.Sa, 95.30.Qd, 97.10.Gz, 97.60.Jd

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