Related papers: Selected Topics in Cosmic Ray Physics
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…
Observations of cosmic rays have been improved at all energies, both in terms of higher statistics and reduced systematics. As a result, the all particle cosmic ray energy spectrum starts to exhibit more structures than could be seen…
We speculate that a new generation of particle astrophysics instrumentation will reveal the enigmatic sources of cosmic rays prior to the one hundredth anniversary of their discovery by Hess in 1912. While only a "smoking gun'' is missing…
The article gives a brief overview, aimed at nonspecialists, about the goals and selected recent results of the detection of very-high energy gamma-rays (energies above 100 GeV) with ground based detectors. The stress is on the physics…
The possibility that the major part of all extrasolar hadronic cosmic rays with energies above 10 MeV/n is of extragalactic origin is discussed. Recent observational results on the galactocentric cosmic-ray density gradient and very high…
Several independent pieces of information have recently hinted at a prominent role of cosmic rays in controlling their own transport, within and around the sources as well as throughout their propagation on Galactic scales and even possibly…
The riddle of the origin of Cosmic Rays is open since one century. Recently we got the experimental proof of hadronic acceleration in Supernovae Remnants, however new questions rised and no final answer has been provided so far. Gamma ray…
The physics of energetic particle propagation in magnetised environments plays a crucial role in both the processes of acceleration and transport of cosmic rays. Recent theoretical developments in the field of cosmic ray research have been…
Continuum gamma-ray emission produced by interactions of cosmic rays with interstellar matter and radiation fields is a probe of non-thermal particle populations in galaxies. After decades of continuous improvements in experimental…
After a brief review of galactic cosmic rays in the GeV to TeV energy range, we describe some current problems of interest for particles of very high energy. Particularly interesting are two features of the spectrum, the `knee' above…
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…
Galactic cosmic rays are believed to be accelerated at supernova remnant shocks. Gamma-ray observations of both supernova remnants and associated molecular clouds have been used in several occasions to test (so far quite successfully) this…
We study the spectrum and anisotropies of ultrahigh energy cosmic ray transient sources, accounting for the effects of their propagation through the turbulent extragalactic magnetic fields. We consider either bursting sources or sources…
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 rays around the knee are generally believed to be of galactic origin. Observations on their energy spectrum and chemical composition are important for understanding the acceleration and propagation of these cosmic rays. In addition,…
After a century of observations, we still do not know the origin of cosmic rays. I will review the current state of cosmic ray observations at the highest energies, and their implications for proposed acceleration models and secondary…
We will review the main physical aspects of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays. We will discuss in particular their propagation through astrophysical backgrounds, focusing on the latest experimental observations of HiRes, Telescope Array and…
Cosmic rays are nowadays a crucial tool to study the astrophysics of extreme objects in the Universe, the cosmic environmental plasma (both Galactic and extra-galactic), the physics of nuclear interactions or the properties of elementary…
This white paper briefly summarizes the importance of the study of relativistic cosmic rays, both as a constituent of our Universe, and through their impact on stellar and galactic evolution. The focus is on what can be learned over the…
Direct techniques for cosmic ray observations have reached an unprecedented level of precision, unveiling fine-details of the energy spectra. I will introduce the evidence for new spectral features which has been accumulated by new…