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DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLE
PHYSICS
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Cosmic Ray Physics
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In contrast to high-energy particles producing by accelerators, cosmic rays are somewhat eternal
aspect of nature. The birth of the field of elementary-particle physics can be traced to studies of cosmic
rays. Now advances in technology and new instrumentation are changing the nature of cosmic-ray
research. New forms of astronomy are being created. Ground-based instruments, spawned by cosmic-ray
techniques, permit the observation of astrophysical objects emitting radiation in very-high-energy
gamma rays, (>100 GeV), high-energy neutrinos (>1 TeV), and the most energetic particles found in
the cosmic radiation (>5x1019 eV). At these energies the galactic and intergalactic magnetic fields
deflect the cosmic-ray protons by only a few degrees. The interaction of these cosmic rays with the
cosmic background radiation limits the possible sources to redshifts far less than unity. The origin of
these highest-energy cosmic rays is not yet understood. The present study of these cosmic rays and the
prospects for solving the mystery concerning their origin and primary content is one of the most
interesting aspects of modern particle physics.
Present research interests of the Department are focused to the investigation of the primary content
of high energy cosmic rays in Extensive Air Showers studying both muon and hadron component
spectra, as well as data analysis related to super-high energy cosmic particles from the Pierre Auger,
Aragats and other observatories to find a possible deviation from a strict Special Relativity (like as the
Greizen-Zatsepin- Kouzmin cutoff breaking and related phenomena).
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