Other facts about cosmic rays
Within our galaxy the cosmic ray energy densitiy is about 1-2eV/cm3, comparable to that of starlight.
Hence the CR energy received on Earth is the same as the energy received in starlight.
The highest energy yet reported for an individual particle is 3*1020eV. With that energy of a single
particle you could boil 1cm3 of water ice.
Protons with energies up to 1018eV can be contained in our galaxy. The curved path of that particle
in the galactic magnetic field will have a radius of 1021cm, much smaller than the galactic radius
of 1023cm.
Most of the Crab nebulas (M1) visible light is produced by synchrotron radiation produced by electrons with
energies above 1011eV.
In the mid-1960s meteorites were analyzed and cosmic ray tracks were discovered that could only be produced
by particles much heavier than iron. This significantly extended the CR charge spectrum and also suggested
that CR flow in the galaxy is not a recent phenomenon (the tracks suggested a slow accumulation of CR impacts).
Air showers were discovered accidentally in 1938 by Pierre Auger and his colleagues, when they saw coincidences
between 2 counters that were several hundred meters apart.
Last-Modified: Sat, 11 Mar 2006 20:29:10 GMT
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