Related papers: The 320 EeV Fly's Eye event: a key messenger or a …
In this article we examine the hypothesis that the highest energy cosmic rays are complex nuclei from extragalactic sources. Under reasonable physical assumptions, we show that the nearby metally rich starburst galaxies (M82 and NGC 253)…
The year 2007 has furnished us with outstanding results about the origin of the most energetic cosmic rays: a flux suppression as expected from the GZK-effect has been observed in the data of the HiRes and Auger experiments and correlations…
Space-based experiments, either orbiting the Earth or from scientific balloon altitudes, measure high-energy cosmic rays by measuring from above the atmosphere the optical and radio signals generated by extensive air showers (EAS). These…
Candidate astrophysical acceleration sites capable of producing the highest energy cosmic rays (E > 10^{19.5} eV) appear to be at far greater distances than is compatible with their being known particles. The properties of a new particle…
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…
The energy spectrum, composition and arrival directions of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) with energy above the cosmic ray ankle, measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory, are inconsistent if their origin is assumed to be…
This paper presents the highlights from the recent measurements of the energy spectrum, mass composition, and arrival directions of the ultra-high energy ($> 10^{17}$ eV = 0.1 EeV) cosmic rays (UHECR) by the Pierre Auger Observatory. The…
We briefly review the status of cosmic ray studies between $10^{14}$ eV and the highest observed energies, namely a few times $10^{20}$ eV. Because of the rather low incident fluxes in this energy range, the studies mostly rely on ground…
The existence of cosmic ray particles up to the ultra-high energy limit (> 10^20 eV) is now beyond any doubt. The detection of cosmic particles with such energies imposes a challenge for the comprehension of their sources and nature. On one…
We fit the cosmic-ray spectrum measured with the Pierre Auger Observatory's surface detectors above an energy of $10^{17}$ eV, along with composition information inferred from the depth of shower maximum measured with its fluorescence…
We investigate the propagation of ultraheavy (UH) nuclei as ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). We show that their energy loss lengths at $\lesssim300$ EeV are significantly longer than those of protons and intermediate-mass nuclei, and…
We calculate the flux of ultra high energy photons from individual ordinary (i.e. non-superconducting) cosmic strings and compare the results with the sensitivity of current and proposed TeV and EeV telescopes. Our calculations give only…
More than 100 years after the discovery of cosmic rays and various experimental efforts, the origin of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (E > 100 PeV) remains unclear. The understanding of production and propagation effects of these highest…
Cosmic rays with energies above $10^{18}$ eV are currently of considerable interest in astrophysics and are to be further studied in a number of projects which are either currently under construction or the subject of well-developed…
This year we are celebrating 101 years since the discovery of cosmic rays. They are whizzing all around the Universe, and they occur at very different energies, including the highest particle energies that exist. However, theory predicts an…
Clusters of galaxies are believed to contain a significant population of cosmic rays. From the radio and probably hard X-ray bands it is known that clusters are the spatially most extended emitters of non-thermal radiation in the Universe.…
Recent advances in measuring and interpreting cosmic rays from the spectral ankle to the highest energies are briefly reviewed. The prime question at the highest energies is about the origin of the flux suppression observed at E ~ 4x10^{19}…
Cosmic rays with energies above $10^{19}$ eV, observed in 1999-2004 by the High Resolution Fly's Eye (HiRes) experiment in the stereoscopic mode, were found to correlate with directions to distant BL Lac type objects (BL Lacs), suggesting…
We report on a measurement of the cosmic ray energy spectrum by the Telescope Array Low-Energy Extension (TALE) air fluorescence detector. The TALE air fluorescence detector is also sensitive to the Cherenkov light produced by shower…
We present the results of a new estimation of the photodisintegration and propagation of ultrahigh energy cosmic ray (UHCR) nuclei in intergalactic space. The critical interactions for photodisintegration and energy loss of UHCR nuclei…