Cosmic rays from the ankle to the cutoff

Recent advances in measuring and interpreting cosmic rays from the spectral ankle to the highest energies are briefly reviewed. The prime question at the highest energies is about the origin of the flux suppression observed at E≃4{dot operator}1019eV. Is this the long-awaited GZK-effect or the exhaustion of sources? The key to answering this question will be provided by the largely unknown mass composition at the highest energies. The high level of isotropy observed even at the highest energies challenges models of a proton-dominated composition if extragalactic magnetic fields are on the order of a few nG or less. We shall discuss the experimental and theoretical progress in the field and the prospects for the next decade. © 2014 Académie des sciences.SCOPUS: sh.j