Osaka Metropolitan University/L-INSIGHT, Kyoto University/Ryuunosuke Takeshige
Illustration of cosmic rays hitting gas molecules in Earth’s atmosphere. By tracing these particles to their source, researchers can estimate how powerful the original cosmic ray was.
One of the most powerful cosmic rays ever has been detected, coming from a “void in the universe” that continues to intrigue the scientific community.
A study published recently, in Science, revealed that one of the most powerful cosmic rays ever observed has been detected colliding with Earth.
As explained by LiveSciencethe extremely energetic particle captured on May 21, 2021 – named “Amaterasu” in honor of a Japanese goddess – arrived from a void not universe.
Amaterasu, detected by the Telescope Array in Utah (USA), had an impressive 244 exa-electron volts (EeV) of energy, making it the most energetic cosmic ray since the “Oh My God” (OMG) particle detected in 1991.
“When I discovered this ultra-high energy (UHE) cosmic ray, I thought there had been a mistake as it showed an energy level unprecedented in the last three decades,” said the study’s lead author, Toshihiro Fujiiastrophysicist at Osaka Metropolitan University (Japan), cited by LiveScience.
The origin of Amaterasu is uncertain. Researchers suggest it may have been deflected by magnetic fields from an unknown source in a void of the universe, where no galaxies, nebulae or other cosmic structures are known to exist.
Toshihiro Fujii said that Amaterasu – as well as other similar particles – probably originated from “unknown physical origins, which go beyond the Standard Model of physics”.
The mystery surrounding the origin of these ultra-high-energy particles will remain (for some time yet) unsolved. However, researchers say they are hopeful that next-generation observatories will be able to trace the origins of such particles, marking a new era in astrophysics.
2023-11-29 07:00:01
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