2008/11/30 by Peter L. Biermann, P. L. Biermann, J. K. Becker +22 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena #Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #astro-ph #gr-qc #hep-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.nuclphysbps.2009.03.069
published as Nucl.Phys.Proc.Suppl.190:61-78,2009 · proceedings for "Origin, Mass, Composition and Acceleration Mechanisms of UHECRs (CRIS 2008)" in Malfa (Salina Island - Italy) on September 15-19, 2008
arxiv created 2008/12/18 · openalex publication_date 2009/05/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
The origin of ultra high energy cosmic rays promises to lead us to a deeper understanding of the structure of matter. This is possible through the study of particle collisions at center-of-mass energies in interactions far larger than anything possible with the Large Hadron Collider, albeit at the substantial cost of no control over the sources and interaction sites. For the extreme energies we have to identify and understand the sources first, before trying to use them as physics laboratories. Here we describe the current stage of this exploration. The most promising contenders as sources are radio galaxies and gamma ray bursts. The sky distribution of observed events yields a hint favoring radio galaxies. Key in this quest are the intergalactic and galactic magnetic fields, whose strength and structure are not yet fully understood. Current data and statistics do not yet allow a final judgment. We outline how we may progress in the near future.