ULTRAHIGH ENERGY COSMIC RAYS: A GALACTIC ORIGIN?

Abstract

It is suggested that essentially all UHECRs we detect, including those at the highest energies, originate in our Galaxy. It is shown that even if the density of sources decreases with Galactic radius, then the anisotropy and composition can be understood. Inward anisotropy, as recently reported by the Auger collaboration can be understood as drift along the current sheet of UHECRs, originating outside of the solar circle, as predicted in Kumar & Eichler, while those originating within the solar circle exit the Galaxy at high latitudes.