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Direct Measurement of the Nickel Spectrum in Cosmic Rays in the Energy Range from 8.8 GeV/n to 240 GeV/n with CALET on the International Space Station.
Adriani, O; Akaike, Y; Asano, K; Asaoka, Y; Berti, E; Bigongiari, G; Binns, W R; Bongi, M; Brogi, P; Bruno, A; Buckley, J H; Cannady, N; Castellini, G; Checchia, C; Cherry, M L; Collazuol, G; Ebisawa, K; Ficklin, A W; Fuke, H; Gonzi, S; Guzik, T G; Hams, T; Hibino, K; Ichimura, M; Ioka, K; Ishizaki, W; Israel, M H; Kasahara, K; Kataoka, J; Kataoka, R; Katayose, Y; Kato, C; Kawanaka, N; Kawakubo, Y; Kobayashi, K; Kohri, K; Krawczynski, H S; Krizmanic, J F; Maestro, P; Marrocchesi, P S; Messineo, A M; Mitchell, J W; Miyake, S; Moiseev, A A; Mori, M; Mori, N; Motz, H M; Munakata, K; Nakahira, S; Nishimura, J.
Affiliation
  • Adriani O; Department of Physics, University of Florence, Via Sansone, 1 - 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
  • Akaike Y; INFN Sezione di Florence, Via Sansone, 1 - 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
  • Asano K; Waseda Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 17 Kikuicho, Shinjuku, Tokyo 162-0044, Japan.
  • Asaoka Y; JEM Utilization Center, Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, 2-1-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8505, Japan.
  • Berti E; Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwa-no-Ha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8582, Japan.
  • Bigongiari G; Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwa-no-Ha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8582, Japan.
  • Binns WR; Department of Physics, University of Florence, Via Sansone, 1 - 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
  • Bongi M; INFN Sezione di Florence, Via Sansone, 1 - 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
  • Brogi P; Department of Physical Sciences, Earth and Environment, University of Siena, via Roma 56, 53100 Siena, Italy.
  • Bruno A; INFN Sezione di Pisa, Polo Fibonacci, Largo B. Pontecorvo, 3 - 56127 Pisa, Italy.
  • Buckley JH; Department of Physics and McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, Washington University, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63130-4899, USA.
  • Cannady N; Department of Physics, University of Florence, Via Sansone, 1 - 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
  • Castellini G; INFN Sezione di Florence, Via Sansone, 1 - 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
  • Checchia C; Department of Physical Sciences, Earth and Environment, University of Siena, via Roma 56, 53100 Siena, Italy.
  • Cherry ML; INFN Sezione di Pisa, Polo Fibonacci, Largo B. Pontecorvo, 3 - 56127 Pisa, Italy.
  • Collazuol G; Heliospheric Physics Laboratory, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA.
  • Ebisawa K; Department of Physics and McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, Washington University, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63130-4899, USA.
  • Ficklin AW; Center for Space Sciences and Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, Maryland 21250, USA.
  • Fuke H; Astroparticle Physics Laboratory, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA.
  • Gonzi S; Center for Research and Exploration in Space Sciences and Technology, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA.
  • Guzik TG; Institute of Applied Physics (IFAC), National Research Council (CNR), Via Madonna del Piano, 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
  • Hams T; Department of Physical Sciences, Earth and Environment, University of Siena, via Roma 56, 53100 Siena, Italy.
  • Hibino K; INFN Sezione di Pisa, Polo Fibonacci, Largo B. Pontecorvo, 3 - 56127 Pisa, Italy.
  • Ichimura M; Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, 202 Nicholson Hall, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA.
  • Ioka K; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padova, Via Marzolo, 8, 35131 Padova, Italy.
  • Ishizaki W; INFN Sezione di Padova, Via Marzolo, 8, 35131 Padova, Italy.
  • Israel MH; Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Chuo, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210, Japan.
  • Kasahara K; Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, 202 Nicholson Hall, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA.
  • Kataoka J; Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Chuo, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210, Japan.
  • Kataoka R; Department of Physics, University of Florence, Via Sansone, 1 - 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
  • Katayose Y; INFN Sezione di Florence, Via Sansone, 1 - 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
  • Kato C; Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, 202 Nicholson Hall, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA.
  • Kawanaka N; Center for Space Sciences and Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, Maryland 21250, USA.
  • Kawakubo Y; Kanagawa University, 3-27-1 Rokkakubashi, Kanagawa, Yokohama, Kanagawa 221-8686, Japan.
  • Kobayashi K; Faculty of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Hirosaki University, 3, Bunkyo, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8561, Japan.
  • Kohri K; Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan.
  • Krawczynski HS; Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwa-no-Ha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8582, Japan.
  • Krizmanic JF; Department of Physics and McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, Washington University, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63130-4899, USA.
  • Maestro P; Department of Electronic Information Systems, Shibaura Institute of Technology, 307 Fukasaku, Minuma, Saitama 337-8570, Japan.
  • Marrocchesi PS; School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan.
  • Messineo AM; National Institute of Polar Research, 10-3, Midori-cho, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan.
  • Mitchell JW; Faculty of Engineering, Division of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan.
  • Miyake S; Faculty of Science, Shinshu University, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan.
  • Moiseev AA; Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan.
  • Mori M; Department of Astronomy, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan.
  • Mori N; Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, 202 Nicholson Hall, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA.
  • Motz HM; Waseda Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 17 Kikuicho, Shinjuku, Tokyo 162-0044, Japan.
  • Munakata K; JEM Utilization Center, Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, 2-1-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8505, Japan.
  • Nakahira S; Institute of Particle and Nuclear Studies, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, 1-1 Oho, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801, Japan.
  • Nishimura J; Department of Physics and McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, Washington University, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63130-4899, USA.
Phys Rev Lett ; 128(13): 131103, 2022 Apr 01.
Article in En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35426700
ABSTRACT
The relative abundance of cosmic ray nickel nuclei with respect to iron is by far larger than for all other transiron elements; therefore it provides a favorable opportunity for a low background measurement of its spectrum. Since nickel, as well as iron, is one of the most stable nuclei, the nickel energy spectrum and its relative abundance with respect to iron provide important information to estimate the abundances at the cosmic ray source and to model the Galactic propagation of heavy nuclei. However, only a few direct measurements of cosmic-ray nickel at energy larger than ∼3 GeV/n are available at present in the literature, and they are affected by strong limitations in both energy reach and statistics. In this Letter, we present a measurement of the differential energy spectrum of nickel in the energy range from 8.8 to 240 GeV/n, carried out with unprecedented precision by the Calorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) in operation on the International Space Station since 2015. The CALET instrument can identify individual nuclear species via a measurement of their electric charge with a dynamic range extending far beyond iron (up to atomic number Z=40). The particle's energy is measured by a homogeneous calorimeter (1.2 proton interaction lengths, 27 radiation lengths) preceded by a thin imaging section (3 radiation lengths) providing tracking and energy sampling. This Letter follows our previous measurement of the iron spectrum [1O. Adriani et al. (CALET Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 241101 (2021).PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.126.241101], and it extends our investigation on the energy dependence of the spectral index of heavy elements. It reports the analysis of nickel data collected from November 2015 to May 2021 and a detailed assessment of the systematic uncertainties. In the region from 20 to 240 GeV/n our present data are compatible within the errors with a single power law with spectral index -2.51±0.07.

Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Language: En Journal: Phys Rev Lett Year: 2022 Document type: Article Affiliation country: Italia

Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Language: En Journal: Phys Rev Lett Year: 2022 Document type: Article Affiliation country: Italia