Ultra-High Energy Hadron and Neutrino Astrophysics

Ultra-High Energy Hadron and Neutrino Astrophysics covers ultrahigh energy neutrino and hadron astronomy in the context of the search for the sources of the highest energy cosmic rays. It gives a broad and solid background for the newcomer to this field of research in the first few chapters, beginning with a comprehensive review of the evolution of astronomy, the present status of our knowledge on the cosmic radiation, discusses 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. The 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.