Related papers: CRIME - cosmic ray interactions in molecular envir…
The observed correlation between global low cloud amount and the flux of high energy cosmic rays supports the idea that ionization plays a crucial role in tropospheric cloud formation. We explore this idea quantitatively with a simple model…
We consider a cosmic ray spectrum that is a power law in momentum down to a cutoff and derive a lower cutoff corresponding to $E_{kin} \sim (30-60)$ MeV from the observed ionization rates in nearby diffuse clouds. While the real spectra of…
Molecular clouds interacting with supernova remnants may be subject to a greatly enhanced irradiation by cosmic rays produced at the shocked interface between the ejecta and the molecular gas. Over the past decade, broad-band observations…
Cosmic rays (CRs) are important drivers for molecular chemistry in star-forming regions, and laboratory experiments have shown that CRs can stimulate the release of complex organic molecules (COMs) such as methanol. Observationally, this…
In molecular cloud cores, the cosmic ray (CR) induced sputtering via CR ion-icy grain collision is one of the desorption processes for ice molecules from mantles around dust grains. The efficiency of this process depends on the incident CR…
Low-energy cosmic rays (LECRs) dominate the ionization in dense regions of molecular clouds in which other ionizers such as UV or X-ray photons are effectively shielded. Thus it was argued that the high ionization rate at the central…
The rate of ionization by cosmic rays in interstellar gas directly associated with gamma-ray emitting supernova remnants is for the first time calculated to be several orders of magnitude larger than the Galactic average. Analysis of…
It is believed that the observed diffuse gamma ray emission from the galactic plane is the result of interactions between cosmic rays and the interstellar gas. Such emission can be amplified if cosmic rays penetrate into dense molecular…
A flux of cosmic rays (CRs) propagating through a diffuse ionized gas can excite MHD waves, thus generating magnetic disturbances. We propose a generic model of CR penetration into molecular clouds through their diffuse envelopes, and…
Dissociation of molecular hydrogen by secondary electrons produced by cosmic ray or X-ray ionization plays a crucial role in the chemistry of the densest part of molecular clouds. Here we study the effect of the mean kinetic energy of…
Ions (e.g., H$_3^+$, H$_2$O$^+$) have been used extensively to quantify the cosmic-ray ionization rate (CRIR) in diffuse sightlines. However, measurements of CRIR in low-to-intermediate density gas environments are rare, especially when…
We study the generation and distribution of high energy electrons in cosmic environment and their observational consequences by carrying out the first cosmological simulation that includes directly cosmic ray (CR) particles. Starting from…
Low energy cosmic rays (up to the GeV energy domain) play a crucial role in the physics and chemistry of the densest phase of the interstellar medium. Unlike interstellar ionising radiation, they can penetrate large column densities of gas,…
The Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), located in the centre of the Milky Way, is a roughly cylindrical structure of molecular gas extending up to parsecs around the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*. The average H2 ionisation rate in the…
Cosmic ray (CR) particles arrive at the top of the Earth's atmosphere at a rate of around 1000 per square meter per second. They are mostly ionized nuclei - about 90% protons, 9% alpha particles traces of heavier nuclei and approximately 1%…
Recent cosmic ray (CR) measurements have revealed unexpected anomalies in secondary CRs, namely deviations from the predictions of the so-called standard Galactic CR paradigm regarding the composition and energy spectra of the products of…
In the interstellar medium, cosmic rays (CRs) generate a field of ultraviolet (UV) photons via the excitation and subsequent radiative decay of $\rm H_2$ molecules. This UV field is a major agent of ionization and dissociation in the inner…
Cosmic rays are appealing as a source of ionization in starburst galaxies because of the great columns they can penetrate, but in the densest regions of starbursts, they may be stopped by pion production and ionization energy losses. I…
The nature of cosmic rays (CRs) and cosmic ray transport in galaxy clusters is probed by a number of observations. Radio observations reveal the synchrotron radiation of cosmic ray electrons (CRe) spiraling around cluster magnetic fields.…
Cosmic rays are crucial for the chemistry of molecular clouds and their evolution. They provide essential ionizations, dissociations, heating and energy to the cold, dense cores. As cosmic rays pierce through the clouds they are attenuated…