Related papers: From 3K to $10^{20}$eV
The energy spectrum of cosmic rays in the range 10^15 eV to 6*10^19 eV has been studied using the air Cherenkov light detectors of the Yakutsk array. The total flux of photons produced by relativistic electrons (including positrons as well,…
We report an estimation of the injected mass composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) at energies higher than 10 EeV. The composition is inferred from an energy-dependent sky distribution of UHECR events observed by the…
Recent advances in measuring and interpreting cosmic rays from the spectral ankle to the highest energies are briefly reviewed. A knee of heavy primaries and an ankle of light primaries have been observed at about 10^{17} eV. The light…
It is proposed that the highest energy $\sim 10^{20}$eV cosmic ray primaries are protons, decay products of a long-lived progenitor whose high kinetic energy arises from decay of a distant (cosmological) superheavy particle, G. Such a…
A detailed investigation of radio galaxies has recently stressed these sources as the possible origin of the cosmic rays observed above $3\,\text{EeV}$. Here, the relevance of this model at energies below $3\,\text{EeV}$ is investigated.…
It is shown that our knowledge of the mass composition of cosmic rays is deficient at all energies above 10^17 eV. Systematic differences between different measurements are discussed and, in particular, it is argued that there is no…
The surprising lack of a high energy cutoff in the cosmic ray spectrum at the highest energies together with an apparently isotropic distribution of arrival directions have strongly challenged most models proposed for the acceleration of…
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 origin of cosmic rays is one of the major unresolved questions in astrophysics. In particular, the highest energy cosmic rays observed possess macroscopic energies and their origin is likely associated with the most energetic processes…
In this paper we review the main features of the observed Cosmic Rays spectrum in the energy range $10^{17} {\rm eV}~\div~10^{20} {\rm eV}$. We present a theoretical model that explains the main observed features of the spectrum, namely the…
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…
Interfaces between high-energy physics, astrophysics and cosmology are reviewed, with particular emphasis on the important roles played by high-energy cosmic-ray physics. These include the understanding of atmospheric neutrinos, the search…
We discuss the region of transition between galactic and extragalactic cosmic rays. The exact shapes and compositions of these two components contains information about important parameters of powerful astrophysical sources and the…
Hadronic interaction models at cosmic ray (CR) energies are inherently uncertain due to the lack of a fundamental theoretical description of soft hadronic and nuclear interactions and the large extrapolation required from collider energies…
Although cosmic rays were discovered over 100 years ago their origin remains uncertain. They have an energy spectrum that extends from 1 GeV to beyond 1020 eV, where the rate is less than 1 particle per km2 per century. Shortly after the…
The search for the origin of cosmic rays is as active as ever, mainly driven by new insights provided by recent pieces of observation. Much effort is being channelled in putting the so called supernova paradigm for the origin of galactic…
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole is a multi-component detector capable of measuring the cosmic ray energy spectrum and composition from PeV to EeV, the energy region typically thought to cover the transition from galactic…
Nature produces cosmic ray particles, probably protons, with energies well above $10^{20}$ eV -- how are they produced? Where do they come from? Gamma rays with energies above $10^{13}$ eV are produced in jets of active galaxies -- are…
Here we discuss the latest developments in the debate, where the ultrahigh energy cosmic ray particles come from. In this brief review, we emphasize the predictions that necessarily follow from the various concepts proposed. We discuss both…
The predictions of hadronic interaction models for cosmic-ray induced air showers contain inherent uncertainties due to limitations of available accelerator data and theoretical understanding in the required energy and rapidity regime.…