Photon Yields of Energetic Particles in the Interstellar Medium: an Easy Way to Calculate Gamma-ray Line Emission

Abstract

A gamma-ray line production calculation in astrophysics depends on i) the composition and energy source spectrum of the energetic particles, ii) the propagation model, and iii) the nuclear cross sections. The main difficulty for model predictions and data interpretation comes from the fact that the spectrum of the particles which actually interact in the ISM - the propagated spectrum, is not the same as the source spectrum coming out of the acceleration site, due to energy-dependent energy losses and nuclear destruction. We present a different approach to calculate gamma-ray line emission, based on the computation of the total number of photons produced by individual energetic nuclei injected in the interstellar medium at a given energy. These photon yields take into account all the propagation effects once and for all, and allow one to calculate quickly the gamma-ray line emission induced by energetic particles in any astrophysical situation by using directly their source spectrum. Indeed, the same photon yields can be used for any source spectrum and composition, as well as any target composition. In addition, these photon yields provide visual, intuitive tools for gamma-ray line phenomenology.