The spectrum of high-energy cosmic rays measured with KASCADE-Grande

• Published in: Astroparticle physics Vol. 36; no. 1; pp. 183 - 194
• Main Authors: Apel, W.D., Arteaga-Velázquez, J.C., Bekk, K., Bertaina, M., Blümer, J., Bozdog, H., Brancus, I.M., Buchholz, P., Cantoni, E., Chiavassa, A., Cossavella, F., Daumiller, K., de Souza, V., Di Pierro, F., Doll, P., Engel, R., Engler, J., Finger, M., Fuhrmann, D., Ghia, P.L., Gils, H.J., Glasstetter, R., Grupen, C., Haungs, A., Heck, D., Hörandel, J.R., Huber, D., Huege, T., Kampert, K.-H., Kang, D., Kickelbick, D., Klages, H.O., Link, K., Łuczak, P., Ludwig, M., Mathes, H.J., Mayer, H.J., Melissas, M., Milke, J., Mitrica, B., Morello, C., Navarra, G., Oehlschläger, J., Ostapchenko, S., Over, S., Palmieri, N., Petcu, M., Pierog, T., Rebel, H., Roth, M., Schieler, H., Schröder, F.G., Sima, O., Toma, G., Trinchero, G.C., Ulrich, H., Weindl, A., Wochele, J., Wommer, M., Zabierowski, J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.08.2012
• Subjects: All-particle energy spectrum; Extensive air showers; KASCADE-Grande; Ultra-high energy cosmic rays; KASCADE-Grande; Extensive air showers; All-particle energy spectrum; Ultra-high energy cosmic rays
• ISSN: 0927-6505; 1873-2852
• DOI: 10.1016/j.astropartphys.2012.05.023

► All-particle energy spectrum of cosmic rays between knee and ankle is not a single power law. ► Just above 1016eV the spectrum exhibits a hardening. ► Around 8×1016eV there is a knee-like feature in the spectrum. The energy spectrum of cosmic rays between 1016eV and 1018eV, derived from measurements of the shower size (total number of charged particles) and the total muon number of extensive air showers by the KASCADE-Grande experiment, is described. The resulting all-particle energy spectrum exhibits strong hints for a hardening of the spectrum at approximately 2·1016eV and a significant steepening at ≈8·1016eV. These observations challenge the view that the spectrum is a single power law between knee and ankle. Possible scenarios generating such features are discussed in terms of astrophysical processes that may explain the transition region from galactic to extragalactic origin of cosmic rays.