Related papers: Cosmic ray ionization of the interstellar medium
The recent success of a proposal from some time ago to explain the spectrum of cosmic rays allows some strong conclusions to be made on the physics of supernovae: In the context of this specific proposal to explain the origin of cosmic…
Using simulation methods, distortion effects on energy spectra caused by errors in the energy determination have been investigated. For cosmic ray proton spectra, falling steeply with kinetic energy E as E-2.7, significant effects appear.…
Cosmic rays represent one of the most important energy transformation processes of the universe. They bring information about the surrounding universe, our galaxy, and very probably also the extragalactic space, at least at the highest…
The cosmic ray spectrum at $10^{19}{\rm eV}-10^{20}{\rm eV}$, reported by the Fly's Eye and the AGASA experiments, is shown to be consistent with a cosmological distribution of sources of protons, with a power law generation spectrum ${\rm…
Motivated by recent experimental proposals to search for extragalactic cosmic rays (including anti-matter from distant galaxies), we study particle propagation through the intergalactic medium (IGM). We first use estimates of the magnetic…
Cosmic rays are a sample of solar, galactic and extragalactic matter. Their origin and properties are one of the most intriguing question in modern astrophysics. The most energetic events and active objects in the Universe: supernovae…
Recent measurements of cosmic gamma ray intensities up to TeV energies have been used to estimate the spectral shape of the parent cosmic ray particles present in the interstellar medium. The case is made for the particle spectrum in the…
In a recently proposed model the cosmic rays spectrum at energies above EeV can be fitted with a minimal number of unknown parameters assuming that the extragalactic cosmic rays are only protons with a power law source spectrum. Within this…
The existence of cosmic rays of energies exceeding 10^20 eV is one of the mysteries of high energy astrophysics. The spectrum and the high energy to which it extends rule out almost all suggested source models. The challenges posed by…
From the analysis of the flux of high energy particles, $E>3\cdot 10^{18}eV$, it is shown that the distribution of the power density of extragalactic rays over energy is of the power law, ${\bar q}(E)\propto E^{-2.7}$, with the same index…
The total cosmic-ray luminosity of the Galaxy is an important constraint on models of cosmic-ray generation. The diffuse high energy $\gamma$-ray and radio-synchrotron emissions of the Milky Way are used to derive this luminosity. The…
We investigate the propagation of ultra-high energy cosmic ray nuclei (A = 1-56) from cosmologically distant sources through the cosmic radiation backgrounds. Various models for the injected composition and spectrum and of the cosmic…
Much has been learned about Galactic cosmic rays in the past decade: On the observational side, the spectra of cosmic ray nuclei have been directly measured with high precision, resolving chemical composition up to TV rigidities. At even…
High-energy end of the cosmic-ray spectrum has provided us to check a validity of the Lorentz Invariance and the Relativity principle, through the observation of the so-called GZK cut-off. It is claimed in this report that the comoving…
We survey the theory and experimental tests for the propagation of cosmic rays in the Galaxy up to energies of 10^15 eV. A guide to the previous reviews and essential literature is given, followed by an exposition of basic principles. The…
The escape of cosmic rays from the Galaxy is expected to shape their spectrum inside the Galaxy. Yet, this phenomenon is very poorly understood and, in the absence of a physical description, it is usually modelled as free escape from a…
The properties of galactic cosmic rays are investigated with the KASCADE-Grande experiment in the energy range between $10^{14}$ and $10^{18}$ eV. Recent results are discussed. They concern mainly the all-particle energy spectrum and the…
The pointing directions of extensive air showers observed at the Pierre Auger Observatory were fitted within 3.1 degree with positions of the nearby active galactic nuclei from the Veron-Cetty and P. Veron catalog. The cosmic ray luminosity…
Cosmic rays represent one of the most fascinating research themes in modern astronomy and physics. After almost a century since their discovery, a huge amount of scientific literature has been written on this topic and it is not always easy…
The energy spectrum of cosmic rays above 2.5x10^18eV, derived from 20,000 events recorded at the Pierre Auger Observatory, is described. The spectral index gamma of the flux, J ~ E^-gamma, at energies between 4x10^18eV and 4x10^19eV is…