Related papers: Extragalactic ultra high energy cosmic rays, II. C…
We present a Bayesian hierarchical model which enables a joint fit of the ultra-high-energy cosmic ray (UHECR) energy spectrum and arrival directions within the context of a physical model for the UHECR phenomenology. In this way, possible…
Very recently, a possible clustering of a subset of observed ultrahigh energy cosmic rays above about 40EeV (4x10^19eV) in pairs near the supergalactic plane was reported. We show that a confirmation of this effect would provide information…
We have calculated the probability that the clustering of arrival directions of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) is consistent with a finite number of uniformly distributed proton sources. The case of a continuous source distribution…
Large-scale accretion shocks around massive clusters of galaxies, generically expected in hierarchical scenarios of cosmological structure formation, are shown to be potential sources of the observed ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) by…
Using the cosmic ray (CR) data available in the energy interval $(10 - 2 \times 10^{7})$ GeV/particle, we have calculated the profile of the primary $\gamma$-ray spectrum produced by the interaction of these CR with thermal nuclei of the…
A mechanism of ultra-high energy cosmic ray acceleration in extragalactic radio sources, at the interface between the relativistic jet and the surrounding medium, is discussed as a supplement to the shock acceleration in `hot spots'. Due to…
The origin of the highest energy cosmic rays is still unknown. At present, the major uncertainties are located at energies above $\sim 10^{19.5}$ eV, the expected beginning of the GZK suppression. This is mainly due to the low statistics…
We discuss the differences induced by the assumed composition of extragalactic sources on the predicted UHECR spectrum and the energy evolution of $<X_{\max}>$, i.e. the mean value of the atmospheric depth at the cosmic-ray air shower…
When ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) interact with ambient photon backgrounds, a flux of extremely-high-energy (EHE), so-called cosmogenic, neutrinos is produced. The observation of these neutrinos with IceCube can probe the nature…
A brief review of the energy spectrum of primary cosmic rays above $10^{10}$ eV and the measurement techniques used to investigate the ultra high energy ones is given. This is followed by a discussion of the atmospheric shower profile of…
Ultrahigh energy neutrinos (UHE\nu) scatter on relic neutrinos (R\nu) producing Z bosons, which can decay hadronically producing protons (Z-burst). We compare the predicted proton spectrum with the observed ultrahigh energy cosmic ray…
We study the effects that the diffusion of the cosmic rays in the magnetic field of the Local Supercluster can have on the spectrum of a nearby extragalactic source at ultrahigh energies. We find that the strong enhancement of the flux…
Analytical calculations of extra-galactic cosmic ray spectra above ~10^17 eV are often performed assuming continuous source distributions, giving rise to spectra that depend little on the propagation mode, be it rectilinear or diffusive. We…
In this review we discuss the important progress made in recent years towards understanding the experimental data on cosmic rays with energies $\agt 10^{19}$ eV. We begin with a brief survey of the available data, including a description of…
The bulk of observed ultrahigh energy cosmic rays could be light or heavier elements, and originate from an either steady or transient population of sources. This leaves us with four general categories of sources. Energetic requirements set…
Air fluorescence detectors traditionally determine the dominant chemical composit ion of the ultrahigh energy cosmic ray flux by comparing the averaged slant depth of the shower maximum, $X_{max}$, as a function of energy to the slant…
The origin and nature of the ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) are still unknown. However, great progress has been achieved in past years due to the observations performed by the Pierre Auger Observatory and Telescope Array. Above…
The recent discovery of diffuse, VHE gamma radiation from the Galactic center ridge by the H.E.S.S. telescope allow for the first time the direct determination of parameters of galactic cosmic ray propagation models. In this paper we show…
The flux of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs) at $E>10^{18.5}$ eV is believed to arise in plasma shock environments in extragalactic sources. In this paper, we present a systematic study of particle acceleration by relativistic shocks,…
Ultra-high energy cosmic rays are the most extreme energetic particles detected on Earth, however, their acceleration sites are still mysterious. We explore the contribution of low-luminosity gamma-ray bursts to the ultra-high energy cosmic…