Fast Neutron - Mirror Neutron Oscillation and Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays

Physics – High Energy Physics – High Energy Physics - Phenomenology

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

14 pages; to appear in PLB (submitted 28 November 2005)

Scientific paper

10.1016/j.physletb.2006.03.008

If there exists the mirror world, a parallel hidden sector of particles with exactly the same microphysics as that of the observable particles, then the primordial nucleosynthesis constraints require that the temperature of the cosmic background of mirror relic photons should be smaller than that of the ordinary relic photons, T'/T < 0.5 or so. On the other hand, the present experimental and astrophysical limits allow a rather fast neutron - mirror neutron oscillation in vacuum, with an oscillation time $\tau \sim 1$ s, much smaller than the neutron lifetime. We show that this could provide a very efficient mechanism for transporting ultra high energy protons at large cosmological distances. The mechanism operates as follows: a super-GZK energy proton scatters a relic photon producing a neutron that oscillates into a mirror neutron which then decays into a mirror proton. The latter undergoes a symmetric process, scattering a mirror relic photon and producing back an ordinary nucleon, but only after traveling a distance $(T/T')^{3}$ times larger than ordinary protons. This may relax or completely remove the GZK-cutoff in the cosmic ray spectrum and also explain the correlation between the observed ultra high energy protons and far distant sources as are the BL Lacs.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Fast Neutron - Mirror Neutron Oscillation and Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Fast Neutron - Mirror Neutron Oscillation and Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Fast Neutron - Mirror Neutron Oscillation and Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-224050

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.