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Cosmic Radiation

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Cosmic radiation (high-altitude radiation) consists mainly of fully ionized atomic nuclei (approx. 98%). In addition, significant components are electrons (approx. 2%). The origin of cosmic radiation is not precisely known. It is assumed that a very large proportion comes from the Milky Way. Active galactic nuclei, radio galaxies, and gamma-ray bursts are considered as extragalactic sources. The detection is predominantly indirect. The formation and acceleration of cosmic primary particles is a very active field of research.  

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Correspondence to Karl-Heinz Spatschek .

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© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature

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Spatschek, KH. (2024). Cosmic Radiation. In: Astrophysics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-66648-7_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-66648-7_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-66647-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-66648-7

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