相关论文: Longevity and Highest-Energy Cosmic Rays
We derive constraints that must be satisfied by the sources of ~10^{15} to ~10^{18} eV cosmic rays, under the assumption that the sources are Galactic. We show that while these constraints are not satisfied by ordinary supernovae (SNe),…
In this article we examine the hypothesis that the highest energy cosmic rays are complex nuclei from extragalactic sources. Under reasonable physical assumptions, we show that the nearby metally rich starburst galaxies (M82 and NGC 253)…
Cosmic rays are the highest energy particles found in nature. Measurements of the mass composition of cosmic rays between 10^{17} eV and 10^{18} eV are essential to understand whether this energy range is dominated by Galactic or…
Some proposals to account for the highest energy cosmic rays predict that they should point to their sources. We study the five highest energy events (E>10^20 eV) and find they are all aligned with compact, radio-loud quasars. 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 spectrum of ultrahigh energy (above \approx 10^{9} GeV) cosmic rays is consistent with the decay of GUT scale particles. The predicted mass is m_X=10^b GeV, where b=14.6_{-1.7}^{+1.6}.
Understanding the origins of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) - which reach energies in excess of $10^{20}~{\rm eV}$ - stretches particle acceleration physics to its very limits. In this review, we discuss how such energies can be…
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…
Cosmic-rays with energies exceeding 10^{19} eV are referred to as Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs). The sources of these particles and their acceleration mechanism are unknown, and for many years have been the issue of much debate.…
We will discuss the main relevant aspects of the physics of ultra high energy cosmic rays. After a short recap of the experimental evidences, we will review theoretical models aiming at describing the sources of these extremely energetic…
It is thought that Galactic cosmic ray (CR) nuclei are gradually accelerated to high energies (up to ~300 TeV/nucleon, where 1TeV=10^12eV) in the expanding shock-waves connected with the remnants of powerful supernova explosions. However,…
The characteristics relating to the lateral and longitudinal development of EAS in the energy region of 10^15-10^19eV have been analyzed in the framework of the QGSJET model and of mass composition of primary cosmic rays. It is found that…
We explore the feasibility of estimating primary cosmic ray composition at high energies from the study of two parameters of Extensive Air Showers (EAS) at ground and underground level with Monte Carlo simulations using the new EPOS and…
A re-examination of the energy cosmic ray spectrum above $10^{20}$ eV is presented. The overall data-base provides evidence, albeit still statistically limited, that non-nucleon primaries could be present at the end of the spectrum. In…
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…
The origin of the ultra high energy cosmic rays (UHECR) with energies above E > 1017eV, is still unknown. The discovery of their sources will reveal the engines of the most energetic astrophysical accelerators in the universe. This is a…
We conjecture that the highest energy cosmic rays beyond the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin cut-off may provide a unique window into the very early epoch of the Universe, namely, that of reheating after inflation, provided these cosmic rays are…
We investigate the propagation of ultraheavy (UH) nuclei as ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). We show that their energy loss lengths at $\lesssim300$ EeV are significantly longer than those of protons and intermediate-mass nuclei, and…
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…
We investigate the proposal that primary cosmic rays of energy above the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin cutoff are exotic massive strongly interacting particles (uhecrons). We study the properties of air showers produced by uhecrons and find that…