The spectrum of high-energy cosmic rays measured with KASCADE-Grande

The KASCADE-Grande Collaboration, W. D. Apel, J. C. Arteaga-Velazquez, K. Bekk, M. Bertaina, J. Bluemer, H. Bozdog, I. M. Brancus, P. Buchholz, E. Cantoni, A. Chiavassa, F. Cossavella, K. Daumiller, V. de Souza, F. Di Pierro, P. Doll, R. Engel, J. Engler, M. Finger, D. Fuhrmann, P. L. Ghia, H. J. Gils, R. Glasstetter, C. Grupen, A. Haungs, D. Heck, J. R. Hoerandel, D. Huber, T. Huege, K. -H. Kampert, D. Kang, D. Kickelbick, H. O. Klages, K. Link, P. Luczak, M. Ludwig, H. J. Mathes, H. J. Mayer, M. Melissas, J. Milke, B. Mitrica, C. Morello, G. Navarra, J. Oehlschlaeger, S. Ostapchenko, S. Over, N. Palmieri, M. Petcu, T. Pierog, H. Rebel, M. Roth, H. Schieler, F. G. Schroeder, O. Sima, G. Toma, G. C. Trinchero, H. Ulrich, A. Weindl, J. Wochele, M. Wommer, J. Zabierowski

Published 2012-06-18Version 1

The energy spectrum of cosmic rays between 10**16 eV and 10**18 eV, derived from measurements of the shower size (total number of charged particles) and the total muon number of extensive air showers by the KASCADE-Grande experiment, is described. The resulting all-particle energy spectrum exhibits strong hints for a hardening of the spectrum at approximately 2x10**16 eV and a significant steepening at c. 8x10**16 eV. These observations challenge the view that the spectrum is a single power law between knee and ankle. Possible scenarios generating such features are discussed in terms of astrophysical processes that may explain the transition region from galactic to extragalactic origin of cosmic rays.