A significant fraction of the overall energy contained in the visible Universe is carried by extremely fast particles, so-called cosmic rays, which were discovered in 1912 by Nobel Laureate Victor Hess. Cosmic rays consist mainly of protons, helium nuclei, electrons and nuclei of heavier elements and can reach energies up to several million times higher than the particles produced in the world's most powerful particle accelerators.
It is still not clear how particles are brought to such high energies. The researchers at Connector 6 have therefore set themselves the goal to help identifying the nature of cosmic accelerators behind these remarkable observations, as well as the physical acceleration mechanisms at work.
