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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.
List of contents
1. Motivation and Introduction
2. The Evolution of Astronomy: from Visual to Neutrino Astronomy
3. The Cosmic Radiation
4. Interactions Relevant for Cosmic Ray Propagation
5. Extensive Air Showers
6. Anisotropy and Time Variation of the Cosmic Radiation
7. Anisotropies at UH Energies, Point Sources and GZK Cutoff: Hadron Astronomy
8. Interpretation of Cosmic Ray Data and Phenomena
9. Propagation of Energetic Cosmic Rays in Space
10. Sources of Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays
11. Muons and their Properties
12. Neutrinos and their Properties
13. Neutrino Production in Astrophysical Objects
14. Neutrino Detection Methods and Telescope Types
15. Ground, Balloon and Satellite Based Neutrino Telescopes
16. Deep-Water/Ice Optical Cherenkov Neutrino Telescopes
17. Radio Cherenkov Neutrino Telescopes
18. Acoustic Detection of High Energy Neutrinos in Liquids and Solids
19. Next Generation Telescopes
20. Neutrino Astronomy Results
21. Interpretation of Data and Conclusions
Appendixes
A. The Atmosphere
B. Galactic and Extragalactic Data Relevant for Cosmic Rays
C. Heliospheric Data and Relations
D. Miscellaneous Data: Figures
E. Mathematical Methods, Relations and Formulas
F. Complementary Relations, Data and Tables
G. List of Symbols
H. Abbreviations and Acronyms
About the author
Professor Peter Grieder is Professor Emeritus of the Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern. His research activities cover high energy phenomena, extensive air showers and neutrino astronomy. He developed the ASICO air shower simulation program system which later on was renamed CORSIKA that is widely used today with a variety of modern event generators, developed by many different authors. He was co-initiator together with Prof. Fred Reines, Nobel Laureate, and colleagues from other institutions of the pioneering DUMAND neutrino telescope project in Hawaii, which was the template for all presently existing and planned giant neutrino telescopes. He was also guest professor for many years at the University of Hawaii and is author of numerous scientific articles and several books.
