Energy spectrum of cosmic-ray electrons

Abstract

Present measurements of the energy spectrum of cosmic-ray electrons appear to show an increase of exponent of approximately=1.5 between energies below 1 GeV and above 10 GeV. This change is much greater than expected if there is an exponential path-length distribution of galactic cosmic rays. Agreement can be restored if allowance is made for the loss of short transit times in the lifetime distribution of particles in the interstellar medium such as is favoured for nuclei by the work Shapiro and Silberberg and, more recently, by Garcia-Munoz et al.