The elemental and isotopic composition of galactic cosmic ray nuclei

Galactic cosmic rays represent a directly accessible sample of matter that originates outside the solar system. The elemental and isotopic composition of this sample of high‐energy matter contains a record of nucleosynthesis in other regions of the galaxy, and of subsequent nuclear and electromagnetic interactions that have altered its composition. There have recently been significant new advances in reading this record, brought about in large part by the launch of new high‐resolution instrumentation. In particular, measurements of the abundances of individual elements have now been extended into the upper 2/3 of the periodic table, and the individual isotopes of a number of heavy cosmic ray nuclei have recently been resolved.

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