Related papers: Two approaches to the cosmic ray "knee" problem an…
The search for a theory of the origin of cosmic rays that may be considered as a standard, agreeable model is still ongoing. On one hand, much circumstantial evidence exists of the fact that supernovae in our Galaxy play a crucial role in…
Some solutions of the hierarchy problem of particle physics can lead to significantly increased neutrino cross sections beyond the electroweak scale. We discuss some consequences for and constraints resulting from cosmic ray physics.
Analysis of the experimental data on cosmic ray spectra in the framework of the proposed model with two types of sources leads to conclusion, that sources with particle generation spectral exponent $p\sim 2.85$ give the major contribution…
Primary cosmic ray particles above energies of about 100 TeV are investigated by large-area ground based detector installations, observing various components of the development of extensive air-showers (EAS). By such an indirect access to…
We investigate the degree to which current ultrahigh energy cosmic ray observations above the ankle support a common maximum rigidity for all nuclei, often called a Peters cycle, over alternative scenarios for the cosmic ray spectra…
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…
Recent results from the multi-detector set-up KASCADE on measurements of cosmic rays in the energy range of the so called "first" knee (at approx. 3 PeV) indicate a distinct knee in the energy spectra of light primary cosmic rays and an…
We report the observation of a steepening in the cosmic ray energy spectrum of heavy primary particles at about $8 \times 10^{16}$ eV. This structure is also seen in the all-particle energy spectrum, but is less significant. Whereas the…
Experimental data obtained in cosmic ray investigations at energies above the knee are discussed. All features observed at these energies starting from the knee, changes of mass composition and concluding with various types of unusual…
The measurement of cosmic ray energy spectra, in particular for individual species, is an essential approach in finding their origin. Locating the "knees" of the spectra is an important part of the approach and has yet to be achieved. Here…
I develop a theory to account for the cosmic ray spectrum. The essential assumption is that, due to fast convective motions, the free mean path perpendicular to the magnetic field is independent of energy and has the scale of the thickness…
The energies of cosmic rays, fully ionized charged nuclei, extend over a wide range up to 10^20 eV. A particularly interesting energy region spans from 10^14 to 10^18 eV, where the all-particle energy spectrum exhibits two interesting…
There has been increasing interest by cosmologists in applying Bayesian techniques, such as Bayesian Evidence, for model selection. A typical example is in assessing whether observational data favour a cosmological constant over evolving…
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…
Cosmic rays physics is currently being studied with rather sophisticated detectors running in a variety of experimental conditions and atmospheric depths around the world. In this paper we describe the reasons why cosmic ray physics…
A critical review of the standard paradigm for the origin of Galactic cosmic rays is presented. Recent measurements of local and far-away cosmic rays reveal unexpected behaviours, which challenge the commonly accepted scenario. These recent…
From the data on Cherenkov light from EASs collected over the period of more than 15 years, the spectrum of cosmic rays was obtained in the energy range 1.0E15-1.0E18 eV. This spectrum has two features: at ~3.0E15 eV (first knee) and at…
A common problem in ultra-high energy cosmic ray physics is the comparison of energy spectra. The question is whether the spectra from two experiments or two regions of the sky agree within their statistical and systematic uncertainties. We…
A cosmological constant fits all current dark energy data, but requires two extreme fine tunings, both of which are currently explained by anthropic arguments. Here we discuss anti-anthropic solutions to one of these problems: the cosmic…
Two exotic elements have been introduced into the standard cosmological model: non-baryonic dark matter and dark energy. The success in converting a hypothesis into a solid theory depends strongly on whether we are able to solve the…