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Joseph Silk

Emeritus Savilian Professor

Sub department

  • Astrophysics

Research groups

  • Beecroft Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
joseph.silk@physics.ox.ac.uk
Telephone: 01865 (2)73300
Denys Wilkinson Building, room 532G
  • About
  • Publications

Ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays from tidally-ignited white dwarfs

Physical Review D American Physical Society 96:10 (2017) 103003

Authors:

Rafael Alves Batista, Joseph Silk

Abstract:

Ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) can be accelerated by tidal disruption events of stars by black holes. We suggest a novel mechanism for UHECR acceleration wherein white dwarfs (WDs) are tidally compressed by intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs), leading to their ignition and subsequent explosion as a supernova. Cosmic rays accelerated by the supernova may receive an energy boost when crossing the accretion-powered jet. The rate of encounters between WDs and IMBHs can be relatively high, as the number of IMBHs may be substantially augmented once account is taken of their likely presence in dwarf galaxies. Here we show that this kind of tidal disruption event naturally provides an intermediate composition for the observed UHECRs, and suggest that dwarf galaxies and globular clusters are suitable sites for particle acceleration to ultrahigh energies.
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CLUSTER-VOID DEGENERACY BREAKING: DARK ENERGY, PLANCK, AND THE LARGEST CLUSTER AND VOID

ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS 820:1 (2016) ARTN L7

Authors:

Martin Sahlen, Inigo Zubeldia, Joseph Silk
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Probing the circumgalactic baryons through cross-correlations

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY 456:2 (2016) 1495-1507

Authors:

Priyanka Singh, Subhabrata Majumdar, Biman B Nath, Alexandre Refregier, Joseph Silk
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Flaring of tidally compressed dark-matter clumps

PHYSICAL REVIEW D 93:4 (2016) ARTN 043508

Authors:

Yacine Ali-Haimoud, Ely D Kovetz, Joseph Silk
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External pressure-triggering of star formation in a disc galaxy: a template for positive feedback

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY 455:4 (2016) 4166-4182

Authors:

Rebekka Bieri, Yohan Dubois, Joseph Silk, Gary A Mamon, Volker Gaibler
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