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GRO source candidates: (A) Nearby modest-size molecular clouds; (B) Pulsar with Wolf-Rayet companion that has lost its H-envelopeWithin 100 pc of the sun there are over a hundred cirrus clouds with masses of approx. 60 solar mass and dense molecular clouds with masses of approx. 4 solar mass. If the local interstellar density of cosmic rays is also present in these clouds, the flux of neutral pion from the decay of gamma rays from the core of a cloud at a distance of 20 pc is approx. 13 x 10(exp -8) photons/sq cm/s. The flux from the more extensive cirrus cloud is approx 4 x 10(exp -7) photons/sq cm/s. A relativistic beam of particles generated by a compact stellar object and incident upon a large, close companion can be a strong gamma ray line source if more of the beam energy is used in interactions with C and O and heavier nuclei and less with H and He. This would be the case if the companion has lost its hydrogen envelope and nucleosynthesized much of its He into C, O, and Ne. Such objects are Wolf-Rayet stars and it is believed that some Wolf-Rayet stars do, in fact, have compact companions. For a beam of protons of 10(exp 37) erg/s, the flux at 1 kpc of the 4.4 MeV C-12 line could be as high as 5 x 10(exp -6) photons/sq cm/s. The fluxes of the deexcitation lines from the spallation products of O-16 are also presented.
Document ID
19910022707
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Contractor Report (CR)
Authors
Silberberg, R.
(Hulburt (E. O.) Center for Space Research Washington, DC., United States)
Murphy, Ronald J.
(Universities Space Research Association Washington, DC., United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1989
Subject Category
Solar Physics
Report/Patent Number
NAS 1.26:183491
NASA-CR-183491
Report Number: NAS 1.26:183491
Report Number: NASA-CR-183491
Accession Number
91N32021
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS5-30534
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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