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Abstract
| The old problem of the origin of cosmic rays, whose energies extend up to 10 Joules per particle, has recently been renewed due to experiments detecting and identifying a small sample of very meaningful particles: gamma-rays, neutrinos and ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (which provide directional information from sources) and also antimatter particles. During the last ten years, gamma-ray astronomy has revealed several sources of cosmic rays, leading to new insights into emission mechanisms with the help of data at all wavelengths from radiowaves to TeV gamma-rays. Neutrino astronomy is still in the exploratory phase, but large new detectors are under construction. Similarly, ambitious projects are now underway which will significantly improve our knowledge of the ultra-high-energy region. New experiments in space, using magnetic spectrometers, will provide more accurate information on antiprotons and possible antinuclei as well as on the chemical and isotopic composition of ordinary cosmic rays. This report summarizes the recent progress of this new field of astrophysics, in which the community of particle physicists has been strongly involved through instrumental developments. |