Scientific Highlights

The highest energy cosmic rays remain elusive and mysterious, and their study requires extraordinary efforts.

Maxwell’s unified description of electric and magnetic phenomena is one of the greatest achievements of 19th century physics.

Cosmic rays are energetic particles, mostly atomic nuclei, raining down upon the Earth from the depths of the cosmos.

First proof-of-principle measurement of muons in inclined air showers using radio and water Cherenkov detectors at the Pierre Auger Observatory.

The Fluorescence Detector (FD) of the Pierre Auger Observatory has been detecting elves with a dedicated trigger since 2013, and its 100 ns time resolution enables unprecedented precision in resolving their internal structure.

New measurements from an observatory in Argentina suggest that all the most energetic cosmic rays arise from the same types of extragalactic accelerators.