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From: mike@wuphys.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: Two quick answers
Message-ID: <288@wuphys.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 12-Jun-85 15:20:32 EDT
Article-I.D.: wuphys.288
Posted: Wed Jun 12 15:20:32 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 18-Jun-85 01:48:28 EDT
References: <2500@decwrl.UUCP> <240@azure.UUCP>
Organization: Physics Dept., Washington Univ. in St. Louis
Lines: 24

> 	A wave that is higher in energy than gamma is cosmic radiation.
> For the most part, they travel through practically everything.
> Astronomers have found that there is a uniform background intensity
> for cosmic radiation, which they believe to be remnents of the Big
> Bang.
> 					John Williams
Cosmic rays are charged PARTICLES.  The energy range beyond gamma rays in
the EM spectrum is more gamma rays.  Cosmic rays are things like protons and
Carbon nuclei.  Yes indeed some of them have been measured at energies up to 
10^21 eV and there is some contamination of the experiments from gamma rays at
comparable energies, but those gamma rays are not cosmic rays.  Before anyone 
quotes me their whiley poster (or better yet Reed Richards of the Fantastic
Four), EM radiation may have been called "comic" at one time, but current
usage is to reserve cosmic rays to charged particles.  I think I can speak 
with some authority about this since I just finished my dissertation on 
cosmic rays at energies up to 50 TeV last week and my PhD final orals are in
9 days.

Mike Jones
Cosmic Ray Physicist
Physics Dept. Washington University
St. Louis MO 63130
ihnp4!wuphys!mike