In this work we present the interpretation of the energy spectrum and mass composition data as measured by the Pierre Auger Collaboration above 6 × 1017 eV. We use an astrophysical model with two extragalactic source populations to model the hardening of the cosmic-ray flux at around 5 × 1018 eV (the so-called “ankle” feature) as a transition between these two components. We find our data to be well reproduced if sources above the ankle emit a mixed composition with a hard spectrum and a low rigidity cutoff. The component below the ankle is required to have a very soft spectrum and a mix of protons and intermediate-mass nuclei. The origin of this intermediate-mass component is not well constrained and it could originate from either Galactic or extragalactic sources. To the aim of evaluating our capability to constrain astrophysical models, we discuss the impact on the fit results of the main experimental systematic uncertainties and of the assumptions about quantities affecting the air shower development as well as the propagation and redshift distribution of injected ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs).

Motivated by the SU(2)CMB modification of the cosmological model ΛCDM, we consider isolated fuzzy-dark-matter lumps, made of ultralight axion particles whose masses arise due to distinct SU(2) Yang–Mills scales and the Planck mass MP. In contrast to SU(2)CMB, these Yang–Mills theories are in confining phases (zero temperature) throughout most of the Universe’s history and associate with the three lepton flavours of the Standard Model of particle physics. As the Universe expands, axionic fuzzy dark matter comprises a three-component fluid which undergoes certain depercolation transitions when dark energy (a global axion condensate) is converted into dark matter. We extract the lightest axion mass ma,e=0.675×10−23eV from well motivated model fits to observed rotation curves in low-surface-brightness galaxies (SPARC catalogue). Since the virial mass of an isolated lump solely depends on MP and the associated Yang–Mills scale the properties of an e-lump predict those of μ- and τ-lumps. As a result, a typical e-lump virial mass ∼6.3×1010M⊙ suggests that massive compact objects in galactic centers such as Sagittarius A* in the Milky Way are (merged) μ- and τ-lumps. In addition, τ-lumps may constitute globular clusters. SU(2)CMB is always thermalised, and its axion condensate never has depercolated. If the axial anomaly indeed would link leptons with dark matter and the CMB with dark energy then this would demystify the dark Universe through a firmly established feature of particle physics.

The origin of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs), particles from outer space with energies 𝐸 ≥ 1 EeV, is still unknown, though the near-isotropy of their arrival direction distribution excludes a dominant Galactic contribution, and interactions with background photons prevent them from travelling cosmologically large distances. This suggests that their sources must be searched for in nearby galaxy groups and clusters. Deflections by intergalactic and Galactic magnetic fields are expected to hinder such searches but not preclude them altogether. So far, the only anisotropy detected with statistical significance ≥ 5𝜎 is a modulation in right ascension in the data from the Pierre Auger Observatory at 𝐸 ≥ 8 EeV interpretable as a 7% dipole moment. Various hints for higher-energy, smaller-scale anisotropies have been reported. UHECR arrival direction data from both the Pierre Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array experiment have been searched for anisotropies by a working group with members from both collaborations; combining the two datasets requires a cross-calibration procedure due to the different systematic uncertainties on energy measurements but allows us to perform analyses that are less model-dependent than what can be done with partial sky coverage. We report a significant dipole pointing away from the Galactic Center and a ∼4.6𝜎 anisotropy found when comparing the directions of UHECRs with a catalog of starburst galaxies.

After nearly 20 years of data-taking, the measurements made with the Pierre Auger Observatory represent the largest collection of ultra-high-energy cosmic ray (UHECR) data so far assembled from a single instrument. Exploring this data set led to a deeper understanding of the UHECR flux and many surprises. In particular, studies aiming to investigate and leverage the mass composition of UHECRs have played an important role in empowering discovery. This contribution will present an overview of the analyses of primary mass composition carried out during the first phase of the Observatory. The overview includes analyses derived from measurements made by the surface, fluorescence, and radio detectors covering energies ranging from 0.1 EeV up to 100 EeV. Special attention will be given to recent advances and results to provide a complete picture of UHECR mass composition at the Observatory as it moves to its next phase, AugerPrime. Additionally, specific updates will be given to studies focusing on mass trends from surface detector rise-times, 𝑋 max dependent anisotropies, and UHECR beam characterization using the correlation between 𝑋 max and signal amplitudes at the ground.

In this work, we present an estimate of the cosmic-ray mass composition from the distributions of the depth of the shower maximum (𝑋 max ) measured by the fluorescence detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory. We discuss the sensitivity of the mass composition measurements to the uncertainties in the properties of the hadronic interactions, particularly in the predictions of the particle interaction cross-sections. For this purpose, we adjust the fractions of cosmic-ray mass groups to fit the data with 𝑋 max distributions from air shower simulations. We modify the protonproton cross-sections at ultra-high energies, and the corresponding air shower simulations with rescaled nucleus-air cross-sections are obtained via Glauber theory. We compare the energydependent composition of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays obtained for the different extrapolations of the proton-proton cross-sections from low-energy accelerator data.