Article Dans Une Revue Astronomy & Astrophysics - A&A Année : 2024

A new analytical model of the cosmic-ray energy flux for Galactic diffuse radio emission

Résumé

Low-frequency radio observations of diffuse synchrotron radiation offer a unique vantage point for investigating the intricate relationship between gas and magnetic fields in the formation of structures within the Galaxy, spanning from the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM) to star-forming regions. Achieving this pivotal objective hinges on a comprehensive understanding of cosmic-ray properties, which dictate the effective energy distribution of relativistic electrons, primarily responsible for the observable synchrotron radiation. Notably, cosmic-ray electrons (CRe) with energies between 100 MeV and 10 GeV play a crucial role in determining the majority of the sky brightness below the GHz range. However, their energy flux (je) remains elusive due to solar modulation. We propose deriving observational constraints on this energy gap of interstellar CRe through the brightness temperature spectral index of low-frequency radio emission, here denoted as βobs. We introduce a new parametric analytical model that fits available data of je in accordance with the βobs values measured in the literature between 50 MHz to 1 GHz for diffuse emission in the Milky Way. Our model allows to account for multiple observations considering magnetic-field strengths consistent with existing measurements below 10 μG. We present a first all-sky map of the average component of the magnetic field perpendicular to the line of sight and validate our methodology against state-of-the art numerical simulations of the diffuse ISM. This research makes headway in modeling Galactic diffuse emission with a practical parametric form. It provides essential insights in preparation for the imminent arrival of the Square Kilometre Array.
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hal-04523143 , version 1 (23-08-2024)

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Andrea Bracco, Marco Padovani, Daniele Galli. A new analytical model of the cosmic-ray energy flux for Galactic diffuse radio emission. Astronomy & Astrophysics - A&A, 2024, 686, pp.A52. ⟨10.1051/0004-6361/202449625⟩. ⟨hal-04523143⟩
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