ABSTRACT

Cosmic ray physics has recently attracted a great deal of attention from the high energy physics community because of the discovery of new sources and the advent of new techniques. The result of a series of lectures prepared for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, this book is a general introduction to experimental techniques and results in the field of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays. It succinctly summarizes the rapidly developing field, and provides modern results that include data from newer detectors. Combining experiment and theory, the text explores the results of a single, easy-to-understand experiment to tie together various issues involved in the physics of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays.

chapter 1|3 pages

Introduction

chapter 2|15 pages

Survey of Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays

chapter 3|17 pages

The Extensive Air Shower

chapter 4|14 pages

Experimental Techniques: Ground Arrays

chapter 5|15 pages

Experimental Techniques: Cherenkov Light

chapter 6|19 pages

Experimental Techniques: Air Fluorescence

chapter 7|19 pages

The Cosmic Ray Spectrum

chapter 8|12 pages

Anisotropy

chapter 9|13 pages

Composition: Direct Methods

chapter 10|15 pages

Composition: Muon and Hadron Detectors

chapter 11|15 pages

Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Ray Composition

chapter 12|11 pages

The Greisen Cutoff

chapter 13|12 pages

The Inelastic Total Cross Section

chapter 14|17 pages

Point Sources of γ-Rays

chapter 15|11 pages

Appendix: The Atmosphere