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From the rate of hydrogen ionization and the gamma ray flux, we derived the spectrum of relativistic and subrelativistic cosmic rays (CRs) nearby and inside the molecular cloud Sgr B2 near the Galactic Center (GC). We studied two cases of…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2015-08-19 V. A. Dogiel , D. O. Chernyshov , A. M. Kiselev , M. Nobukawa , K. S. Cheng , C. Y. Hui , C. M. Ko , K. K. Nobukawa , T. G. Tsuru

We investigate ionization and heating of gas in the dense, shielded clumps/cores of molecular clouds bathed by an influx of energetic, charged cosmic rays (CRs). These molecular clouds have complex structures, with substantial variation in…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2021-06-02 Ellis R. Owen , Alvina Y. L. On , Shih-Ping Lai , Kinwah Wu

We explore the effects of the expected higher cosmic ray (CR) ionization rates $\zeta_{\rm CR}$ on the abundances of carbon monoxide (CO), atomic carbon (C), and ionized carbon (C$^+$) in the H$_2$ clouds of star-forming galaxies. The study…

Low-energy cosmic rays ($E\lesssim 1$ GeV) are responsible for the ionisation and heating of molecular clouds. While the role of supra-thermal electrons produced in the ionisation process in inducing excitation of the ambient gas (mostly…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2025-12-02 Marco Padovani , Daniele Galli , Corey T. Plowman , Liam H. Scarlett , Mark C. Zammit , Igor Bray , Dmitry V. Fursa

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…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2026-01-15 O. Sipilä , P. Caselli , M. Padovani , D. Galli , T. Grassi , H. R. Hrodmarsson , S. S. Jensen , E. Roueff

Cosmic rays (CR), both solar and Galactic, have an ionising effect on the Earth's atmosphere and are thought to be important for prebiotic molecule production. In particular, the $\rm{H_2}$-dominated atmosphere following an ocean-vaporising…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2025-05-07 S. R. Raeside , D. Rodgers-Lee , P. B. Rimmer

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…

Gaseous electronic characteristics due to cosmic ray ionization in the electrode systems with ZnO and carbon nanostructures have been examined in atmospheric Ar/N2 and O2/N2 mixtures. The electric conductivity at the quasi linear stage is…

Plasma Physics · Physics 2012-10-19 Changhua Zhan , Zhongyu Hou

Cosmic rays are an important source of heating in the interstellar medium, in particular in dense molecular cloud cores shielded from the external ultraviolet radiation field. The limits placed on the cosmic-ray ionization rate from…

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics · Physics 2015-02-12 Daniele Galli , Marco Padovani

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…

Astrophysics · Physics 2015-06-24 Biman B. Nath , Peter L. Biermann

To investigate the interstellar medium (ISM) and Galactic cosmic rays (CRs) in the solar neighborhood, we analyzed ${\gamma}$-ray data by Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) for five nearby molecular cloud regions. Our data includes the…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2025-06-23 Tsunefumi Mizuno , Katsuhiro Hayashi , Hinako Ochi , Igor V. Moskalenko , Elena Orlando , Andrew W. Strong

Diffuse interstellar clouds show large abundances of H_3^+ which can be maintained only by a high ionization rate of H_2. Cosmic rays are the dominant ionization mechanism in this environment, so the large ionization rate implies a high…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2011-02-11 Nick Indriolo , Brian D. Fields , Benjamin J. McCall

The specific star-formation rate of star-forming `main sequence' galaxies significantly decreased since z~1.5, due to the decreasing molecular gas fraction and star formation efficiency. However, the radio-infrared (IR) correlation has not…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2025-01-29 B. Vollmer , J. Freundlich , P. Gratier , Th. Lizee , M. Lendrin , J. Braine , M. Soida

Cosmic rays (CRs) heavily impact the chemistry and physics of cold and dense star-forming regions. However, characterising their ionisation rate is still challenging from an observational point of view. In the past, a few analytical…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2024-02-19 E. Redaelli , S. Bovino , A. Lupi , T. Grassi , D. Gaete-Espinoza , G. Sabatini , P. Caselli

Understanding the isotopic composition of cosmic rays (CRs) observed near Earth represents a milestone towards the identification of their origin. Local fluxes contain all the known stable and long-lived isotopes, reflecting the complex…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2018-07-11 Carmelo Evoli , Daniele Gaggero , Andrea Vittino , Mattia Di Mauro , Dario Grasso , Mario Nicola Mazziotta

The local interstellar spectrum of cosmic ray electrons and positrons from 0.8 GeV to 2 TeV is derived by demodulating the measured spectra by balloon and satellite experiments. It can be well represented by a single power law in kinetic…

Astrophysics · Physics 2007-05-23 D. Casadei , V. Bindi

Recent studies have suggested that low-energy cosmic rays (CRs) may be accelerated inside molecular clouds by the shocks associated with star formation. We use a Monte Carlo transport code to model the propagation of CRs accelerated by…

We present the first simulations evolving resolved spectra of cosmic rays (CRs) from MeV-TeV energies (including electrons, positrons, (anti)protons, and heavier nuclei), in live kinetic-MHD galaxy simulations with star formation and…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2023-08-29 Philip F. Hopkins , Iryna S. Butsky , Georgia V. Panopoulou , Suoqing Ji , Eliot Quataert , Claude-Andre Faucher-Giguere , Dusan Keres

The H$_2$ ionisation rate in the central molecular zone, located in the Galactic centre, is estimated to be $\zeta\sim2\times10^{-14}~\mathrm{s}^{-1}$, based on observations of H$_3^+$ lines. This value is two to three orders of magnitude…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2025-02-12 Sruthiranjani Ravikularaman , Sarah Recchia , Vo Hong Minh Phan , Stefano Gabici

We develop a theory to account for the cosmic ray spectrum between 1 GeV and 10^4 GeV following the earlier papers of this series. We use the basic concept that the cosmic ray particles are accelerated in a supernova shock that travels…

Astrophysics · Physics 2007-05-23 Peter L. Biermann , Richard G. Strom