https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/20135204001
Cosmic rays measurements around the knee of the primary spectrum
Dipartimento di Fisica Università degli Studi di Torino and INFN, Via P. Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy
a e-mail: achiavas@to.infn.it
In this contribution I will summarize and discuss some recent results about the study of the knee of the cosmic rays energy spectrum, indicating that this spectral feature is originated by astrophysical processes. I will then discuss the current experimental efforts that are giving further insights. Latest all particle spectrum measurements have shown that, between 1016eV and 1018eV, the spectrum cannot be described by a single slope power law: an hardening around 1016eV and a steepeningaround 1017eV have been observed. This last feature has been attributed, by the KASCADE-Grande experiment, to the heavy primary component, confirming that the energy of the elemental spectra change of slope increase with the mass of the primary particle.
© Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2013
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 2.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
