Related papers: Observational Validation of Cosmic Ray Acceleratio…
It is argued that there are three `origins' of cosmic rays; the origin of the particles, the origin of the energy, and the site of the acceleration. The evidence for each origin is discussed and a plausible synthesis outlined for the…
Although several theories for the origin of cosmic rays in the region between the spectral `knee' and `ankle' exist, this problem is still unsolved. A variety of observations suggest that the transition from Galactic to extragalactic…
The acceleration of cosmic ray particles and their propagation in the Milky Way and the heliosphere tangle with each other, leading to complexity and degeneracy of the modeling of Galactic cosmic rays (GCRs). The recent measurements of the…
The generic acceleration model for ultra high energy cosmic rays, which has been introduced in {\tt 1006.5708 [astro-ph.HE]}, suggests various types of electromagnetic interactions between cosmic charged particles and the different types of…
Motivated by the discovery of the non-thermal Fermi bubble features both below and above the Galactic plane, we investigate a scenario in which these bubbles are formed through Galacto-centric outflow. Cosmic rays (CR) both diffusing and…
Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) and their relativistic jets belong to the most promising class of ultra-high-energy cosmic ray (UHECR) accelerators. This compact review summarises basic experimental findings by recent instruments, and…
Recent accurate measurements of cosmic-ray (CR) protons and nuclei by ATIC-2, CREAM, and PAMELA reveal: a) unexpected spectral hardening in the spectra of CR species above a few hundred GeV per nucleon, b) a harder spectrum of He compared…
We derive the maximum accelerated particle energy from first-order and second-order Fermi acceleration at nonrelativistic and relativistic shocks for explosions taking place in a uniform surrounding medium. Second-order stochastic processes…
We investigate a mechanism for accelerating cool (10$^4$ K) clouds in the circumgalactic medium (CGM) with cosmic rays (CRs), possibly explaining some characteristics of observed high velocity clouds (HVCs). Enforcing CRs to stream down…
We propose that nearly every accelerated CR was part of the parallel current that maintains all force-free (f-f) magnetic fields. Charged particles are accelerated by the E-parallel (to the magnetic filed B) produced by reconnection. The…
The $\gamma$-ray emission observed in several classes of Galactic and extragalactic astrophysical sources appears to be linked to accreting black holes and rotational powered neutron stars. These systems are prodigious cosmic accelerators,…
The origin and acceleration mechanism of cosmic rays (CRs) remain fundamental open questions. Galaxy mergers are proposed as very high-energy CR accelerators, which are expected to produce high-energy (HE) $\gamma$ rays and neutrinos…
Theoretical concepts ofn cosmic ray particle acceleration at relativistic plasma flows -- shocks and shear layers -- are reviewed. We begin with a discussion of mildly relativistic shock waves. The role of oblique field configurations and…
The maximum cosmic ray energy achievable by acceleration by a relativistic blast wave is derived. It is shown that forward shocks from long GRB in the interstellar medium are powerful enough to produce the Galactic cosmic-ray component up…
The origin of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) is an open question. In this proceeding, we first review the general physical requirements that a source must meet for acceleration to 10-100 EeV, including the consideration that the…
We investigate the shock acceleration of particles in massive galaxy mergers or collisions, and show that cosmic rays (CRs) can be accelerated up to the second knee energy ~0.1-1 EeV and possibly beyond, with a hard spectral index Gamma ~…
The standard approach to cosmic-ray (CR) propagation in the Galaxy is based on the assumption that local transport properties can be extrapolated to the whole CR confining volume. Such models tend to underestimate the gamma-ray flux above…
The mechanism accelerating cosmic rays in the Milky Way Galaxy and galaxy clusters is identified and described. The acceleration of cosmic rays is a purely electrostatic process which operates up to the maximum energies of $10^{23}$ eV in…
Because cosmic rays are charged particles scrambled by magnetic fields, combining direct measurements with other observations is crucial to understanding their origin and propagation. As energetic particles traverse matter and…
Although cosmic rays were discovered a century ago, we do not know where or how they are accelerated. There is a realistic hope that the oldest problem in astronomy will be solved soon by ambitious experimentation: air shower arrays of…