Abstract
AT energies above ∼ 1017 eV it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain the observed near isotropy of ultra high energy cosmic rays if they are of Galactic origin, unless there is an extensive halo magnetic field, and the primaries are heavy nuclei1; instead, extragalactic origin is often assumed. The models proposed can be divided into three main groups: (1) ‘universal’, in which there is a class of galaxies in the Universe (of which our own is not a member) which are roughly uniformly distributed, and which generate the ultra high energy particles; (2) ‘universal plus supercluster enhancement’2, in which the existence of a supercluster is assumed—the enhanced density of galaxies in the SC allows a larger fraction, than is its share by volume, to have come from this region; and (3) ‘Supercluster trapping’3, where energetic phenomena in the SC generate the particles which are then trapped for periods of perhaps 109–1010 yr.
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WDOWCZYK, J., WOLFENDALE, A. Energy spectrum of ultra high energy cosmic rays. Nature 258, 217–218 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/258217a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/258217a0
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