Recent measurements of the spectrum and composition of cosmic rays between 10 TeV and 1 EeV from EAS experiments

Abstract

In the last two decades, different advances with extensive air shower (EAS) experiments have allowed to unveil several details about the composition and energy spectrum of galactic cosmic rays from some TeV up to several hundreds of PeV, which have led to improve our understanding of the physics of cosmic rays. EAS measurements above the knee, for instance, have helped to understand some aspects about the acceleration and propagation mechanisms of the PeV component of cosmic rays and have shown possible hints about the transition from the galactic to the extragalactic regime. Meanwhile, EAS data in the TeV energy range have revealed unexpected features in the all-particle and elemental spectra, which may indicate the presence of previously unknown cosmic-ray phenomena. In this contribution, I will present a brief account on these EAS results, with particular emphasis on the recent measurements of the all-particle energy spectrum and the elemental composition of cosmic rays from 10 TeV up to 1 EeV. In addition, I will compare the latest results of EAS experiments and direct detectors at energies just below the knee, where there exists an overlap between both detection techniques.