TeV Blazars as the Sources of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays

• 作者: Bingkai Zhang Xiaoyun Zhao Zhen Cao
• 来源期刊: 天文学与天体物理学国际期刊(英文)
• 学科: 地球科学
• 关键词: BL Lacertae OBJECTS TEV BLAZARS UHECRs
• 年，卷（期）: 2014,（3）
• 页码范围: 499-509
• 页数: 11页
• 分类号: P1

摘要

The origin of ultra high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) is still an open question in astroparticle physics. TeV blazars are a small group of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). They all have been observed in TeV gamma ray band, and show violent variabilities in flux at all wavelengths. So it is believed that they have abilities to produce UHECRs. To judge whether the TeV blazars can be the candidates of the origin of UHECRs, we collect the information of emission region of 38 TeV blazars, and estimate the maximum energy that the charged particle can be accelerated there. The results show that TeV blazars have abilities to accelerate cosmic rays to the energy above 1018?eV, some even higher than 1020?eV, and they may be the sources of UHECRs.