Maximum energy of cosmic-ray particles accelerated by supernova remnant shocks in stellar wind cavities

Abstract

The authors demonstrate that diffusive shock acceleration, balanced by adiabatic losses, leads readily to particle energies of ≥1015eV in the case of a supernova shock freely expanding into a stellar wind cavity. This process accelerates particles early on out of stellar wind material which is often enriched in certain elements (isotopes) and may thus contribute to explain elemental and isotopic anomalies in the cosmic rays. The authors speculate that the same process may produce particle energies up to 1019eV in the case of a supernova explosion in a compact binary star.