Related papers: Testing the Origin of High-Energy Cosmic Rays
Cosmic ray (CR) particles arrive at the top of the Earth's atmosphere at a rate of around 1000 per square meter per second. They are mostly ionized nuclei - about 90% protons, 9% alpha particles traces of heavier nuclei and approximately 1%…
An analysis is made of the fine structure in the cosmic ray energy spectrum: new facets of present observations and their interpretation and the next step. It is argued that less than about 10% of the intensity of the helium `peak' at the…
Suppose that even the highest energy cosmic rays (CRs) observed on Earth are protons accelerated in local Milky Way Galaxy sources, with few if any from more distant sources. In this paper we treat the problem that supernovae remnants…
We explore several aspects related to the propagation of high energy cosmic rays (CRs) of galactic origin (i.e. in the range $E\simeq 10^{15}- 10^{18}$ eV). In particular, we study in detail the diffusion/drift scenario, a…
The AMS-02 experiment has provided high-precision measurements of several cosmic-ray (CR) species. The achieved percent-level accuracy gives access to small spectral differences among the different species and, in turn, this allows…
The nuclei fraction in cosmic rays (CR) far exceeds the fraction of other CR species, such as antiprotons, electrons, and positrons. Thus the majority of information obtained from CR studies is based on interpretation of isotopic abundances…
The origin of the ultrahigh-energy (UHE) cosmic rays (CRs) from the second knee ($\sim6\times10^{17}$eV) above in the CR spectrum is still unknown. Recently, there has been growing evidence that a peculiar type of supernovae, called…
Recent international efforts have brought us closer to unveiling the century old mystery of the origin of cosmic rays. Cosmic ray, gamma ray, and neutrino observatories are reaching the necessary sensitivity to study the highest energy…
Understanding the acceleration of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays is one of the great challenges of contemporary astrophysics. In this short review, we summarize the general observational constraints on their composition, spectrum and…
We report the results of our study of the energy spectra and absolute fluxes of cosmic rays (CRs) in the Local Galaxy based on a five-year $\gamma$-ray observation with the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) of eight nearby giant molecular…
Recent measurements of cosmic-ray spectra of several individual nuclear species by the CREAM, TRACER, and ATIC experiments indicate a change in the spectral index of the power laws at TeV energies. Possible explanations among others include…
We study the generation and distribution of high energy electrons in cosmic environment and their observational consequences by carrying out the first cosmological simulation that includes directly cosmic ray (CR) particles. Starting from…
Recent measurements revealed the presence of several features in the cosmic ray spectrum. In particular, the proton and helium spectra exhibit a spectral hardening at $\approx$ 300 GV and a spectral steeping at $\approx$ 15 TV, followed by…
The luminosity densities of high-energy cosmic radiations are studied to find connections among the various components, including high-energy neutrinos measured with IceCube and gamma rays with the Fermi satellite. Matching the cosmic-ray…
The balloon-borne Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass (CREAM) experiment launched five times from Antarctica has achieved a cumulative flight duration of about 156 days above 99.5% of the atmosphere. The instrument is configured with…
We discuss the prospects of detecting the sources of ultra-high energy (UHE) cosmic ray (CR) nuclei via their emission of cosmogenic gamma-rays in the GeV to TeV energy range. These gamma-rays result from electromagnetic cascades initiated…
It has been shown that supernova blast waves interacting with winds from massive stars in compact star clusters may be capable of producing cosmic-ray (CR) protons to above $10^{17}$ eV. We give a brief description of the…
The origin of the bulk of cosmic rays (CRs) observed at Earth is the topic of a century long investigation, paved with successes and failures. From the energetic point of view, supernova remnants (SNRs) remain the most plausible sources of…
We consider the stochastic propagation of high-energy protons and nuclei in the cosmological microwave and infrared backgrounds, using revised photonuclear cross-sections and following primary and secondary nuclei in the full 2D nuclear…
The study of Galactic Cosmic-ray electrons (CREs) saw important developments in recent years, with the assumption of positron production only in interaction of hadronic Cosmic-rays with interstellar matter challenged by new measurements of…