Related papers: Cosmic rays at ultra high energies (Neutrinos!)
Scattering processes in the cosmic microwave background limit the propagation of ultra high energy charged particles in our Universe. For extragalactic proton sources resonant photopion production results in the famous…
The spectrum of extra-galactic cosmic rays (CRs) is expected to follow the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin (GZK) cutoff at about 5x10^10 GeV which results from energy losses of charged nuclei in the cosmic microwave background. So far the…
Cosmic rays with energies beyond the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin `cutoff' at $\sim 4 \times 10^{10}$ GeV pose a conundrum, the solution of which requires either drastic revision of our astrophysical understanding, or new physics beyond the…
The origin and chemical composition of ultra high energy cosmic rays is still an open question in astroparticle physics. The observed large-scale isotropy and also direct composition measurements can be interpreted as an extragalactic…
Cosmic rays of energies larger than the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin (GZK) cutoff may be neutrinos if they acquire strong interactions due to a ``precocious unification'' of forces. A scenario for this to happen is outlined. There is no…
We begin with a brief overview of highest-energy cosmic ray data, and the experiments which will perform neutrino astronomy. We then discuss two particle physics aspects of neutrinos. They are possible long-lifetime decay of the neutrino,…
After a short review of the ultrahigh energy cosmic ray puzzle - the apparent observation of cosmic rays originating from cosmological distances with energies above the expected Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin cutoff 4x10^{19} eV - we consider…
The origin and nature of ultrahigh-energy cosmic ray events, above the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin (GZK) cutoff energy, constitute a long-standing, unsolved mistery. Neutrinos are proposed candidates but their standard interactions with matter…
Ultra high energy cosmic rays (UHECR) pose a problem either for particle physics or for astrophysics (or for both) by the unexpectedly high number of cosmic ray showers observed with energy above about 5x10^{19}eV, the…
The neutron fraction in the very high energy cosmic rays near the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin (GZK) cutoff energy is analyzed by taking into account the time dilation effect of the neutron decays and also the pion photoproduction behaviors…
Contrary to earlier expectations, several cosmic ray events with energies above $10^{20}$ eV have been reported by a number of ultra-high energy cosmic ray observatories. According to the AGASA experiment, the flux of such events is well…
The status of the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin (GZK) cutoff and pair-production dip in Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECR) is discussed.They are the features in the spectrum of protons propagating through CMB radiation in extragalactic space,…
Recent experimental data from the Fly's Eye and the Akeno array seem to indicate significant structure in the ultrahigh energy cosmic ray spectrum above $10^{18}\eV$. A statistically significant dip has been established at about…
The observation of cosmic--ray events above the Greisen-Kuzmin-Zatsepin (GZK) cutoff of $\sim 5\times 10^{19}$ eV challenges orthodox modeling. We discuss a possible solution which uses standard hot Big Bang cosmology and Standard Model…
Explanations of the origin of ultra-high energy cosmic rays are severely constrained by the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuz'min effect, which limits their propagation over cosmological distances. We argue that possible departures from strict Lorentz…
This is a review of neutrino astronomy anchored to the observational fact that Nature accelerates protons and photons to energies in excess of $10^{20}$ and $10^{13}$ eV, respectively. Although the discovery of cosmic rays dates back close…
The origin of highest energy cosmic rays is yet unknown. An appealing possibility is the so-called Z-burst scenario, in which a large fraction of these cosmic rays are decay products of Z bosons produced in the scattering of ultrahigh…
A cubic kilometer scale experiment has been proposed to detect cosmic neutrinos of energy from tens of GeV up to the highest energies observed for cosmic rays, around 10**20 eV, or possibly even beyond. Detection efficiencies depend…
In the first part of this review we discuss the basic observational features at the end of the cosmic ray energy spectrum. We also present there the main characteristics of each of the experiments involved in the detection of these…
We consider the possibility that a large fraction of the ultrahigh energy cosmic rays are decay products of Z bosons which were produced in the scattering of ultrahigh energy cosmic neutrinos on cosmological relic neutrinos. We compare the…