Abstract
Antiprotons (p̄) are expected to be found in the cosmic rays at the level of ∼10−4 relative to protons (p) as they should be produced by cosmic-ray proton collisions with the interstellar medium1–3. The recent observations of Buffington et al.4 are puzzling, however, because the total p̄ flux observed is ∼10 times larger than predicted, and the shape of the p̄ spectrum differs greatly from that predicted. We explore here the possibility that primordial black holes (PBHs) of mass ∼1013 – 1015 g which evaporated after decoupling (t≳1014 s) are the primary source of the cosmic ray p̄s. The PBH scenario predicts a universal p̄/p ratio of ∼10−4–10−8.
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Turner, M. Could primordial black holes be the source of the cosmic ray antiprotons?. Nature 297, 379–381 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/297379a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/297379a0
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