Related papers: Recent developments in cosmic ray physics
The quest for the origin of cosmic ray (CRs) is a fundamental issue in astrophysics. Shocks of supernova remnants (SNRs) have been considered as the dominant contributors to Galactic CRs below the spectral knee near $\sim 3$…
The energy spectrum of cosmic rays between 10**16 eV and 10**18 eV, derived from measurements of the shower size (total number of charged particles) and the total muon number of extensive air showers by the KASCADE-Grande experiment, is…
An update of the status of the knee in the cosmic ray energy spectrum at 3-4 PeV is presented. We argue that the evidence in favour of the presence of a 'single source' is even stronger than before.
Cosmic rays represent one of the most important energy transformation processes of the universe. They bring information about the surrounding universe, our galaxy, and very probably also the extragalactic space, at least at the highest…
If supernova remnants (SNRs) are the sites of cosmic-ray acceleration, the associated nuclear interactions should result in observable fluxes of TeV gamma-rays from the nearest SNRs. Measurements of the gamma-ray flux from six nearby,…
It is widely believed that supernova remnants are the best candidate sources for the observed cosmic ray flux up to the knee, i.e. up to ~PeV energies. Indeed, the gamma-ray spectra of some supernova remnants can be well explained by…
Our purpose is to evaluate the rate of the maximum energy and the acceleration rate that cosmic rays acquire in the non-relativistic diffusive shock acceleration as it could apply during their lifetime in various astrophysical sites, where…
Cosmic rays are charged energetic particles that permeate the interstellar medium. Their sizeable energy share and penetration power makes them essential players in the dynamical and chemical processes that rule Galactic evolution, such as…
The Sun stands out as the closest and clearest astrophysical accelerator of cosmic rays, while other objects within and beyond the galaxy remain enigmatic. It is probable that the cosmic ray spectrum and mass components from these celestial…
We consider a possibility of identification of sources of cosmic rays (CR) of the energy above 1 TeV via observation of degree-scale extended gamma-ray emission which traces the locations of recent sources in the Galaxy. Such emission in…
Recent observations of galactic cosmic rays (CR) in the 1-500 GeV energy range have revealed striking deviations from what deemed "standard." The anomalies cut across hadronic and leptonic CRs. I discuss findings that challenge physical…
The origin of the particles in the highest energy end of the cosmic ray spectrum is discussed in the context of the wider problem of the origin of the whole cosmic radiation as observed at the Earth. In particular we focus our attention on…
Scenarios in which the knee of the cosmic ray spectrum depends on the particle rigidities usually predict that the cosmic ray composition becomes heavier above the knee and have associated a change in the spectral slope of each individual…
The ARGO--YBJ experiment has been in stable data taking for more than five years at the Yangbajing cosmic ray observatory (Tibet, P.R. China, 4300 m a.s.l.). The detector collected about $5\times10^{11}$ events in a wide energy range from…
In 1990's Very High Energy Gamma-ray Astrophysics has dramatically advanced due to the Imaging Air \v{C}erenkov Telescopes(IACTs). After the first detection of TeV gamma-ray emission from the Crab nebula in 1989, several type of TeV…
The analysis of cosmic rays fluxes as a function of energy reveals a {\it knee} slightly below $10^{16}$ eV and an {\it ankle} close to $10^{19}$ eV. Their physical origins remain up to now quite enigmatic; in particular, no elementary…
The present experimental status concerning the composition of cosmic rays in the PeV region is reviewed. The results are compared to predictions of contemporary models for the acceleration and propagation of galactic cosmic rays.
Important observational results have been recently reported on the angular distributions of cosmic rays at all energies, calling into question the perception of cosmic rays a decade ago. These results together with their in-progress…
Recent results on the composition of cosmic rays in the energy region from about 10^14 to 10^18 eV are reviewed.
The production of energetic particles in the universe remains one of the great mysteries of modern science. The mechanisms of acceleration in astrophysical sources and the details about the propagation through the galactic and extragalactic…