Cosmic rays & astroparticles is a research area focused on high-energy particles of extraterrestrial origin and their role in fundamental physics and astrophysics. It encompasses experimental and theoretical studies of primary cosmic rays (protons, nuclei, electrons), secondary air-shower particles, gamma rays, neutrinos, and other non-photonic messengers that probe extreme environments such as supernova remnants, active galactic nuclei, and compact objects. The field integrates particle detection techniques, high-energy astrophysics, plasma and magnetic field modeling, and multi-messenger observations to investigate particle acceleration mechanisms, propagation in interstellar and intergalactic media, and potential signatures of new physics beyond the Standard Model.
Cosmic rays are made primarily of protons with a few electrons sprinkled in, and they can reach energies even higher than what human-made accelerators can produce. Considering human-made accelerators, such as the Large Hadron ...
Astronomy
Jul 17, 2026
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Shielding astronauts from the deadly radiation they face is a central challenge for any designer of a deep-space crewed mission. Even relatively low levels of exposure over long periods can lead to everything from central ...
Space Exploration
Jul 11, 2026
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Neutrinos: They have no electric charge, pass through matter like a ghost and are so light they were initially thought to have zero mass. These are just some of the traits that make them so difficult to detect. Research on ...
Astronomy
Jul 3, 2026
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Peering far into the distant, high-redshift universe, the James Webb telescope has discovered an abundance of small red galaxies known as the Little Red Dots. From their observations, astronomers believe that at least some ...
Astronomy
Jun 30, 2026
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A new study has revealed an unexpected link between solar storms and the flux of high-energy cosmic rays arriving at Earth. The findings, made using one of the world's largest cosmic ray detectors, could open up a new way ...
The world's most powerful particle accelerator will shutter operations Monday for four years of renovations to dramatically boost its collision capacity and the potential for unlocking one of the greatest mysteries of the ...
General Physics
Jun 27, 2026
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There are multiple ways to form black holes. The one most commonly taught in high school physics classes is that they are created from the collapse of a dying star. But there is another class of black holes, known as primordial ...
Astronomy
Jun 22, 2026
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Millions of light-years away, millions of years ago, a star exploded. In this violent process, it ejected incredible amounts of mass, including carbon, nitrogen and oxygen—the building blocks of life. In fact, the star may ...
Astronomy
Jun 18, 2026
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Neutrinos are one of the fundamental particles of the universe. They live a ghostly existence with no electric charge, very little mass and extremely few interactions with matter. They are also the most abundant particles ...
Astronomy
Jun 17, 2026
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When a star dies, it generates an explosion of elemental nuclei and hurls them into space. Those elements, called cosmic rays, travel at nearly the speed of light, and eventually some of them encounter manmade detectors. ...
General Physics
Jun 13, 2026
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