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VOLUME 79 (2004) | ISSUE 12 |
PAGE 719
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Mapping deflections of extragalactic ultrahigh energy cosmic rays in magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the Local Universe
K. Dolag, D. Grasso+, V. Springel*, I. Tkachev
Dipartimento di Astronomia, Universitàdi Padova, Padua, Italy +Scuola Normale Superiore and I.N.F.N., Pisa, Italy *Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, Garching, Germany CERN - Theory Division, Geneve, Switzerland
PACS: 98.70.Sa
Abstract
We construct a map of deflections of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays by
extragalactic magnetic fields using a magneto-hydrodynamical
simulation of cosmic structure formation that realistically reproduces
the positions of known galaxy clusters in the Local Universe. Large
deflection angles occur in cluster regions, which however cover only
an insignificant fraction of the sky. More typical deflections of
order are caused by crossings of filaments. For
protons with energies , deflections
do not exceed a few degrees over most of the sky up to a propagation
distance of 500 Mpc. Given that the field strength of our simulated
intergalactic magnetic field forms a plausible upper limit, we
conclude that charged particle astronomy is in principle possible.
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