Cosmic ray of mysterious origin detected by Telescope Array

According to a study published in the journal Science, the surface cosmic ray detector of the Telescope Array (TA) experiment received data from an ultra-high energy laser. Lightning passed quickly through the Earth’s atmosphere on May 27, 2021, but scientists have not yet understood the origin of this event.

A group of scientists from the University of Utah in the United States, in partnership with researchers from the University of Tokyo in Japan, state: This is the second highest energy beam ever recorded entering the Earth’s atmosphere.. The largest observed by science occurred in 1991 and was detected by the Fly’s Eye in Utah, called Oh-My-God (OMG) because of its powerful power.

On this occasion, Astrophysicists named the second most powerful beam ever detected Amaterasu, after the Sun goddess in Japanese mythology. As the scientists explained, the beam activated 23 detectors and recorded energy levels exceeding 240 exa-electron volts (EeV); Meanwhile, the Oh-My-God particle recorded 320 EeV.

“These events seem to come from completely different places in the sky. There doesn’t seem to be a mysterious source. They could be defects in the structure of space-time, collisions of cosmic strings. So I’m crazy about the ideas people have.” We argue because there is no conventional explanation [para o Amaterasu]”, said John Belz, professor and co-author of the study, in an official statement.

Cosmic ray and mysterious origin

Amaterasu’s origins scientists have been unable to trace as they have with the OMG laser; This is the great mystery. Although they travel at the speed of light, they do not emit radiation like ordinary light. In reality, These are probably atomic nuclear particles and subnuclear particles, such as protons and electrons, produced during supernovae and stellar collisions.

The Telescope Array is currently undergoing an expansion that could help solve the mystery, as new detectors will be installed that can better detect particle patterns produced by cosmic rays. Both Amaterasu and Oh-My-God have been detected within a radius that must exceed 160 million light-years from the Solar System.

“The particles are so high in energy that they should not be affected by galactic and extragalactic magnetic fields. You need to be able to pinpoint where they are coming from in the sky. But in the case of the Oh My God particle and this new particle, study author and Telescope Array spokesman John Matthews said, “We can track their trajectories back to the source. You do, and there is nothing high enough energy to produce it. “That’s the mystery here, what’s going on?” he said.

Stay up to date on these and other mysteries of the universe at TecMundo. If you wish, you can also take the opportunity to learn about the cross that Einstein discovered distorts space-time.