Abstract
The composition of the primordial cosmic radiation has been compared with the solar system composition and that of interstellar matter. It is found that the overabundance of an element in the radiation is approximately proportional to the cross-section for the ionization of neutral atoms of that element through fast charged particle impacts. The results strongly support the assumption that the selection of cosmic ray particles is governed by the atomic properties of the elements.
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Kristiansson, K. The composition of the cosmic radiation and the atomic properties of the elements. Astrophys Space Sci 30, 417–431 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00648287
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00648287