Exploring cosmic rays at the highest-energy frontier with the Pierre Auger Observatory

Publisher: Edp Sciences

E-ISSN: 2100-014x|95|issue|04016-04016

ISSN: 2100-014x

Source: EPJ Web of Conference, Vol.95, Iss.issue, 2015-05, pp. : 04016-04016

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Abstract

The Pierre Auger Observatory studies the most energetic cosmic rays arriving at Earth, those with energies from 1017 eV up to 1020 eV and beyond. In continuous operation since 2004, the Observatory employs two complementary detection techniques for measuring air showers induced by those extremely energetic particles. For the past few years new detectors and techniques are being added in order to augment the sensitivity of the measurements. Data accumulated in ten years have led to major advances in our knowledge of the origin and nature of cosmic rays. We present a summary of the latest results for the spectrum of cosmic rays, their arrival directions and composition, as well as the challenges for the future operation of the Observatory.