Related papers: The composition of cosmic rays at the knee
Recent results on the composition of cosmic rays in the energy region from about 10^14 to 10^18 eV are reviewed.
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,…
The most recent experimental results on the cosmic ray composition and energy spectrum above 1 TeV are reviewed and discussed. All data agree on the presence of the so-called ``knee'' at an energy E(knee) = 3-4 PeV; the knee is seen in all…
A brief review is given on the astrophysics of cosmic rays in the PeV primary energy range, i.e. the region of the knee.
Cosmic rays around the so-called knee in the spectrum at around PeV primary energy are generally galactic in origin. Observations on the form of their energy spectrum and their mass composition are fundamental tools to understand the…
A brief review about the chemical composition of cosmic rays in the energy range 10^15 < E < 10^20 eV is given. While there is convincing evidence for an increasingly heavier composition above the knee, no clear picture has emerged at the…
The possibility of estimating the mass composition of primary cosmic rays above the knee of its energy spectrum through the study of high energy gamma rays, muons and neutrinos produced in the interactions of cosmic rays with the solar…
In the last two decades, different advances with extensive air shower (EAS) experiments have allowed to unveil several details about the composition and energy spectrum of galactic cosmic rays from some TeV up to several hundreds of PeV,…
An overview is given on the present status of the understanding of the origin of galactic cosmic rays. Recent measurements of charged cosmic rays and photons are reviewed. Their impact on the contemporary knowledge about the sources and…
The observation of a small change in spectral slope, or 'knee' in the fluxes of cosmic rays near energies 10^15 eV has caused much speculation since its discovery over 40 years ago. The origin of this feature remains unknown. A small…
The small change in the spectral slope of the overall intensity of cosmic rays near 1 PeV may be associated with the endpoint energy of supernova shock acceleration. A crucial test of this connection and other ideas of the origin of the…
The determination of the primary cosmic ray mass composition from the characteristics of extensive air showers (EAS), obtained at an observation level in the lower half of the atmosphere, is still an open problem. In this work we propose a…
A "knee" in the cosmic-ray spectrum, characterized by a sudden steepening of the spectral shape at $\sim 4$ PeV, may be interpreted either as a global feature of Galactic cosmic rays or as a local signature. In the former scenario,…
An overview is given on results from direct and indirect measurements of galactic cosmic rays. Their implications on the contemporary understanding of the origin of cosmic rays and the knee in their energy spectrum are discussed.
This review summarizes recent developments in the understanding of high-energy cosmic rays. It focuses on galactic and presumably extragalactic particles in the energy range from the knee (10^15 eV) up to the highest energies observed…
Results from the KASCADE air shower experiment investigating the origin of cosmic rays in the energy region from 10^13 to 10^17 eV are presented. Attention is drawn on the investigation of interactions in the atmosphere and the energy…
Several kinds of measurements are combined in an attempt to obtain a consistent estimate of the spectrum and composition of the primary cosmic radiation through the knee region. Assuming that the knee is a signal of the high-energy end of a…
An overview on the present observational status and phenomenological understanding of cosmic rays above 10^16 eV is given. Above these energies the cosmic ray flux is expected to be gradually dominated by an extra-galactic component. In…
Primary energy spectrum of cosmic rays exhibits a knee at about $3$ PeV where a change in the spectral index occurs. Despite many efforts the origin of such a feature of the spectrum is not satisfactorily solved yet. Here it is proposed…
A sudden steepening of the cosmic-ray energy spectrum (the knee) is observed at an energy of about 3 PeV (1 PeV = $10^{15}$ eV). The experimental study of the PeV cosmic rays has intensified greatly during the last 3 years. The recent…