Propagation of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays in Extragalactic Magnetic Fields

Abstract

AbstractIn this paper we will discuss the problem of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECR) and show that the idea of a Single Source Model established by Erlykin and Wolfendale (1997) to explain the features seen in cosmic ray energy spectra around the 1015 eV region can be successfully applied also for the much higher energies. The propagation of UHECR (of energies higher than 1019 eV) in extragalactic magnetic fields can no longer be described as a random walk (diffusion) process and the transition to rectilinear propagation gives a possible explanation for the so-called Greisen-Zatzepin-Kuzmin (GZK) cut-off which still remains an open question after almost 40 years. A transient “single source” located at a particular distance and producing UHECR for a finite time is the proposed solution.