Related papers: TOPOLOGICAL DEFECTS AND HIGHEST ENERGY COSMIC AND …
Here we propose that the excess flux of particle events of energy near 1 EeV from the direction of the Galactic Center region is due to the production of cosmic rays by the last few Gamma Ray Bursts in our Galaxy. The basic idea is that…
We present the main results on the energy spectrum and composition of the highest energy cosmic rays of energy exceeding 10$^{18}$ eV obtained by the High Resolution Fly's Eye and the Southern Auger Observatory. The current results are…
Supernova remnants are widely believed to be a principal source of galactic cosmic rays, produced by diffusive shock acceleration in the environs of the remnant's expanding shock. This review discusses recent modelling of how such energetic…
Recent work suggests that the cosmic ray spectrum may be dominated by Galactic sources up to ~10^{17.5} eV, and by an extra-Galactic component beyond, provided this latter cuts off below the transition energy. Here it is shown that this…
Top-down models of cosmic rays produce more neutrinos than photons and more photons than protons. In these models, we reevaluate the fluxes of neutrinos associated with the highest energy cosmic rays in light of mounting evidence that they…
Recent advances in measuring and interpreting cosmic rays from the spectral ankle to the highest energies are briefly reviewed. The prime question at the highest energies is about the origin of the flux suppression observed at E ~ 4x10^{19}…
Cosmic rays begin to reveal their secrets at energies above 5 EeV. Beyond this characteristic energy, known as the spectral "ankle", the arrival-direction data from the Pierre Auger Observatory show anisotropy on large angular scales of…
Diffuse Galactic gamma-ray emission is produced in interactions of cosmic rays with gas and ambient photon fields and thus provides us with an indirect measurement of cosmic rays in various locations in the Galaxy. The diffuse gamma-ray…
The latest results from PAMELA and FERMI experiments confirm the necessity to improve theoretical models of production and propagation of galactic electrons and positrons. There are many possible explanations for the positron excess…
The origin of cosmic rays is one of the major unresolved astrophysical questions. In particular, the highest energy cosmic rays observed possess macroscopic energies and their origin is likely to be associated with the most energetic…
The analysis of cosmic rays fluxes as a function of energy reveals a {\it knee} slightly below $10^{16}$ eV and an {\it ankle} close to $10^{19}$ eV. Their physical origins remain up to now quite enigmatic; in particular, no elementary…
The origin of the highest energy cosmic rays is still unknown. The discovery of their sources will reveal the workings of the most energetic astrophysical accelerators in the universe. Current observations show a spectrum consistent with an…
The possibility that the Fermi scale is the only fundamental energy scale of Nature is under serious consideration at present, yet cosmic rays may already have provided direct evidence of new physics at a much higher scale. The recent…
We study the deflection of ultra high energy cosmic ray protons in different models of the regular galactic magnetic field. Such particles have gyroradii well in excess of 1 kpc and their propagation in the galaxy reflects only the large…
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…
More than 90% of the Galactic gas-related gamma-ray emissivity above 1 GeV is attributed to the decay of neutral pions formed in collisions between cosmic rays and interstellar matter, with lepton-induced processes becoming increasingly…
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…
On 2004 December 27, a giant flare from the soft gamma repeater 1806$-$20 was observed. The radiation mechanism of the initial peak of the flare would be controversial. In this letter we point out that very high-energy cosmic rays would be…
A review is given of the main properties of the charged component of galactic cosmic rays, particles detected at Earth with an energy spanning from tens of MeV up to about 10^19 eV. After a short introduction to the topic and an historical…
Topological defects are ubiquitous in condensed-matter physics but only hypothetical in the early universe. In spite of this, even an indirect evidence for one of these cosmic objects would revolutionize our vision of the cosmos. We give…