Experimental/Observational Summary - Very High Energy Cosmic Rays and their Interactions

Paul Sommers

Published 2010-10-19Version 1

Observations of cosmic rays have been improving at all energies, with higher statistics and reduced systematics. Fundamental questions remain regarding the origins of cosmic rays both within the Galaxy and in extragalactic sources, and new puzzles have arisen at ultra-high energies. A key issue is determining the elemental composition based on air shower measurements. Accelerator experiments at the LHC, with comprehensive measurements in the forward direction and high interaction energies, will greatly reduce the uncertainty in air shower simulations. Ultra-high energy air showers may reveal properties of particle interactions at energies far beyond the reach of the LHC.