A Unified Model of High - Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

I outline a unified model of high-energy astrophysics, in which the gamma background radiation, cluster " cooling flows " , gamma-ray bursts, X-ray flashes and cosmic-ray electrons and nuclei of all energies —share a common origin. The mechanism underlying these phenomena is the emission of relativistic " cannonballs " by ordinary supernovae, analogous to the observed ejection of plasmoids by quasars and microquasars. I concentrate on Cosmic Rays: the longest-lasting conundrum in astrophysics. The distribution of Cosmic Rays in the Galaxy, their total " luminosity " , the broken power-law spectra with their observed slopes, the position of the knee(s) and ankle(s), and the alleged variations of composition with energy are all explained in terms of simple and " standard " physics. The model is only lacking a satisfactory theoretical understanding of the " cannon " that emits the cannonballs in catastrophic episodes of accretion onto a compact object. It is not unusual in talks to start with the credits, as in an old film. Many of the ideas I shall discuss have a long pedigree, e.g. that Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are the main (injection) process for Cosmic Rays 1 (CRs); that GRBs are the main CR (production and acceleration) mechanism 2 , that they are induced by narrow jets emitted by accreting compact stellar objects 3 ; and that their γ-rays are low-energy photons boosted to higher energies by inverse Compton scattering 3 (ICS). The concrete realization of these ideas in the " CannonBall " (CB) model is more recent and covers GRBs 4,5 , X-Ray Flashes 6 (XRFs), their respective afterglows 7,8 , the Gamma " Background " Radiation 9 , the CR luminosity of our Galaxy 10 , the " Cooling Flows " of galaxy clusters 11 , and the properties of CRs 2,12. A look at the sky, or a more modest one at the web, results in the realization that jets are emitted by many astrophysical systems (stars, quasars, microquasars...). One impressive case 13 is that of the quasar Pictor A, shown in Fig. (1). Somehow, the active galactic nucleus of this object is discontinuously spitting something that does not appear to expand sideways before it stops and blows up, having by then