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Particle and Astrophysical Aspects of Ultra-high Energy Cosmic Rays

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Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Physics ((LNP,volume 556))

Abstract

The origin ofcosmic rays is one ofthe 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 processes in the Universe. Their existence triggered a flurry oftheoretical explanations ranging from conventional shock acceleration to particle physics beyond the Standard Model and processes taking place at the earliest moments ofour Universe. Furthermore, many new experimental activities promise a strong increase ofstatistics at the highest energies and a combination with γ-ray and neutrino astrophysics will put strong constraints on these theoretical models. Detailed Monte Carlo simulations indicate that charged ultrahigh energy cosmic rays can also be used as probes oflarge scale magnetic fields whose origin may open another window into the very early Universe. We give an overview over this quickly evolving research field.

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Sigl, G. (2000). Particle and Astrophysical Aspects of Ultra-high Energy Cosmic Rays. In: Page, D., Hirsch, J.G. (eds) From the Sun to the Great Attractor. Lecture Notes in Physics, vol 556. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-45371-7_7

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