A new view of the cosmic-ray knee after LHAASO

Recent LHAASO measurements offer a new view of the cosmic-ray knee by combining the all-particle spectrum and mean logarithmic mass with proton and light-component spectra across the PeV region. This contribution reviews these results and their implications for Galactic acceleration and transport. Approximately charge-ordered proton and helium knees coexist with different spectral evolution, while their turnover shapes constrain source populations and escape mechanisms. These measurements anchor an elemental ``ladder’’ that, extended to heavier nuclei, will be crucial for establishing how far the Galactic component persists and where the Galactic–extragalactic transition takes place.