Prof. Elisa Resconi is co-author of "Cosmic rays and particle physics"

Elisa Resconi, professor for experimental physics with cosmic rays at the Technical University of Munich and principal investigator of the Excellence Cluster Universe, is co-author of the second edition of "Cosmic rays and particle physics", published by Cambridge University Press. The expanded and updated edition is available from June 2016.

Cosmic rays are high-energetic ionized nuclei - mainly hydrogen and helium nuclei but also nuclei of heavier elements – that clatter from space on our atmosphere like a steady rain. When such a particle hits the Earth's atmosphere, it creates a cascade of less energetic secondary particles that can be observed on the ground. The exploration of these cosmic rays is dedicated to the field of astroparticle physics, a growing and very dynamic field of physics, which is adjacent to particle physics, astronomy and cosmology.

Cosmic rays are distinguished by their energy; most cosmic particles are moving at nearly the speed of light, a small part of them has even ultra-relativistic energies. The fundamental questions of cosmic ray physicists are: Where do the cosmic rays come from? and, in particular: How are they accelerated to such high energies?  

The work "Cosmic Rays and Particle Physics", which was first published in 1990 and is now updated and expanded in its second edition, provides a comprehensive overview of the physics of high-energy nuclei, photons and neutrinos, their origins and their way through the universe and their detection on earth. Elisa Resconi, professor for experimental physics with cosmic rays at TUM and researcher at the Excellence Cluster Universe, is co-author of the new edition, together with Ralph Engel from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Thomas K. Gaisser from the University of Delaware, who is also author of the first edition.

Coverage is expanded to include new content on high-energy physics, neutrino astronomy, high-energy and ultra-high-energy cosmics rays, sources and acceleration mechanisms and atmospheric muons and neutrinos. The work is aimed at established researchers as well as graduate students, who want to acquire in-depth knowledge in the field of cosmic rays.

Thomas K. Gaisser, Ralph Engel und Elisa Resoni:
Cosmic Rays and Particle Physics
Cambridge University Press
Hardcover, 444 pages, 79,99 Dollar
ISBN 978-0-521-01646-9