An Energy-Dependent Confinement Model for Galactic Cosmic Rays

Abstract

Recent observations of cosmic ray composition suggest that the average path length decreases with energy. A confinement model is proposed to explain this, based on the scattering of cosmic rays by hydromagnetic waves in regions outside the plane of the Galaxy where the density of neutral matter is low enough to allow the waves to form. The effect of this confinement model on the spectrum of cosmic ray electrons is investigated.