Generalized statistical mechanics of cosmic rays: Application to positron-electron spectral indices.

ABSTRACT: Cosmic ray energy spectra exhibit power law distributions over many orders of magnitude that are very well described by the predictions of q-generalized statistical mechanics, based on a q-generalized Hagedorn theory for transverse momentum spectra and hard QCD scattering processes. QCD at largest center of mass energies predicts the entropic index to be [Formula: see text]. Here we show that the escort duality of the nonextensive thermodynamic formalism predicts an energy split of effective temperature given by ??[Formula: see text] MeV, where T H is the Hagedorn temperature. We carefully analyse the measured data of the AMS-02 collaboration and provide evidence that the predicted temperature split is indeed observed, leading to a different energy dependence of the e+ and e- spectral indices. We also observe a distinguished energy scale E*???50 GeV where the e+ and e- spectral indices differ the most. Linear combinations of the escort and non-escort q-generalized canonical distributions yield excellent agreement with the measured AMS-02 data in the entire energy range.

SUBMITTER: Yalcin GC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5789131 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature