Peter K. F. Grieder - Böcker

Ultra-High Energy Hadron and Neutrino Astrophysics covers ultrahigh energy neutrino and hadron astronomy in the search for sources of the highest energy cosmic rays. The book begins with a comprehensive review of the evolution of astronomy, the present status of our knowledge on cosmic radiation, and the interactions that are relevant for the propagation and detection of the cosmic radiation in space, in the atmosphere, and in the Earth’s crust. The phenomenon of extensive air showers as a tool of hadron astronomy, spectral and compositional aspects of the high energy primary radiation, and the status of the anisotropy are treated comprehensively.This is followed by chapters on the interpretation of cosmic ray phenomena at high energies, and on the propagation of the cosmic radiation through galactic and extragalactic space. Subsequent chapters focus on the properties of muons and neutrinos, on the atmospheric neutrino background, and on astrophysical (cosmogenic) neutrinos. The basic detection principles are discussed and the different giant detector systems presented, including environmental aspects and background problems. The major experiments, in particular the successful IceCube experiment at Antarctica, are described and their results and interpretations discussed.

Extensive air showers are a very unique phenomenon. In the more than six decades since their discovery by Auger and collaborators we have learned a lot about these extremely energetic events and gained deep insight into high-energy phenomena, particle physics and astrophysics. In this Tutorial, Reference Manual and Data Book Peter K. F. Grieder provides the reader with a comprehensive view of the phenomenology and facts of the various types of interactions and cascades, theoretical background, experimental methods, data evaluation and interpretation and air shower simulation. He discusses astrophysical aspects of the primary radiation and addresses remaining puzzling questions that cannot yet be answered. They remain as a challenge for present and future research in the field.The book is split into two volumes. Volume I deals mainly with the basic theoretical framework of the processes that determine an air shower and ends with a summary of ways and means to extract information from air shower observations on the primary radiation. It also presents a compilation of data of our current knowledge of the high energy portion of the primary spectrum and composition. Volume II contains mainly compilations of data of experimental and theoretical nature as well as predictions from simulations of individual air shower constituents. Also included are chapters dedicated exclusively to special processes and detection methods. Extensive up-to-date reference lists appear at the end of each chapter.Researchers and students working in the field of cosmic ray detection and astroparticle physics will appreciate finding this book in their library.