Related papers: Interactions of UHE cosmic ray nuclei with radiati…
I discuss the shape of the high energy end of the spectrum of particles arising from diffusive shock acceleration in the presence of (i) additional diffusive escape from the accelerator, (ii) continuous energy losses, (iii) energy changes…
Recent measurements of the spectrum and composition of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays suggest that their extragalactic sources may be accelerating heavy nuclei in addition to protons. This can suppress the cosmogenic neutrino flux relative to…
The main signature of the interaction between cosmic rays and molecular clouds is the high ionisation degree. This decreases towards the densest parts of a cloud, where star formation is expected, because of energy losses and magnetic…
The flux of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays reaching the Earth is affected by the interactions with the cosmic radiation backgrounds as well as with the magnetic fields that are present along their trajectories. We combine the SimProp cosmic…
The significant attenuation of the cosmic-ray flux above $\sim 5 10^{19}$ eV suggests that the observed high-energy spectrum is shaped by the so-called GZK effect. This interaction of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) with the ambient…
Although the origin of cosmic rays (CRs) remains an open question, collisionless magnetized shock waves are widely regarded as key sites for particle acceleration. Recent theories further suggest that shock-shock collisions in stellar…
Observations of large-scale radio emissions prove the existence of shock accelerated cosmic-ray electrons in galaxy clusters, while the lack of detected $\gamma$-rays limits the acceleration of cosmic-ray protons in galaxy clusters. This…
We review the physics of the highest energy cosmic rays. The discovery of their sources, still unknown, will reveal the most energetic astrophysical objects in the universe and could unveil new physics beyond the standard model of particle…
Ultra high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) are expected to be accelerated in astrophysical sources and to travel through extragalactic space before hitting the Earth atmosphere. They interact both with the environment in the source and with the…
A mechanism of ultra-high energy (UHE) cosmic ray acceleration in extragalactic radio sources at the interface between the relativistic jet and the ambient medium is discussed as a supplement to the shock acceleration in `hot spots'.…
The process of diffusive acceleration of charged particles in shocked plasmas is widely invoked in astrophysics to account for the ubiquitous presence of signatures of non-thermal relativistic electrons and ions in the universe. A key…
We describe a semi-analytical approach to non-linear diffusive shock acceleration in the case in which nuclei other than protons are also accelerated. The structure of the shock is determined by the complex interplay of all nuclei, and in…
Ultra-peripheral collisions of heavy ions and protons are the energy frontier for electromagnetic interactions. Both photonuclear and two-photon collisions are studied, at collision energies that are far higher than are available elsewhere.…
Galactic cosmic rays are widely believed to be accelerated in expanding shock waves initiated by supernova explosions. The theory of diffusive shock acceleration of cosmic rays is now well established, but two fundamental questions remain…
Our Galaxy is the largest nuclear interaction experiment which we know, because of the interaction between cosmic ray particles and the interstellar material. Cosmic rays are particles, which have been accelerated in the Galaxy or in…
Cosmic ray acceleration at the termination shock of compact star clusters has recently received much attention, mainly because of the detection of gamma ray emission from some of such astrophysical sources. Here we focus on the acceleration…
A mechanism of ultra-high energy cosmic ray acceleration in extragalactic radio sources, at the interface between the relativistic jet and the surrounding medium, is discussed as a supplement to the shock acceleration in `hot spots'. Due to…
We discuss recent observations of high energy cosmic ray positrons and electrons in the context of hadronic interactions in supernova remnants, the suspected accelerators of galactic cosmic rays. Diffusive shock acceleration can harden the…
As ultra-high energy cosmic ray protons propagate through the universe, they undergo photo-meson interactions with the cosmic microwave background, generating the `cosmogenic' neutrino flux. If a substantial fraction of the cosmic ray…
We briefly describe the energy loss processes of ultrahigh energy protons, heavier nuclei and gamma rays in interactions with the universal photon fields of the Universe. We then discuss the modification of the accelerated cosmic ray energy…