Cosmic Rays: An Ongoing Clear Window into New Physics

Full text: Since Victor Hess's pioneering work in 1912, cosmic rays have provided not only a window into energetic processes in space, but also the rst glimpses of many aspects of particle physics. This talk reviews and highlights some of the major achievements in the eld, what has been learned, and what major scientific puzzles remain, emphasizing the uniqueness of cosmic rays as a probe of both exotic objects in the far reaches of the universe, and into the deep heart of matter beyond the reach of even modern terrestrial particle accelerators. An outlook for the future is given showing that cosmic ray physics will continue to provide key insights into nature unavailable through any other means. (author)