The source of the cosmic rays outside of our Galaxy

2017-09-25 10:11

The source of the cosmic rays outside of our Galaxy
Studying the distribution of cosmic rays in the directions from which they arrive is an important step on the way to understanding their origin.

In a new scientific publication collaboration Pierre Auger Collaboration (“Pierre auger”) were able to show convincingly that the source of the cosmic rays outside of our Galaxy, reports Rus.Media. The article notes that the study of the distribution of cosmic rays in the directions from which they arrive is an important step on the way to understanding their origin.

Cosmic rays are the nuclei of atoms of chemical elements from hydrogen to iron. These particles move with velocities close to the speed of light, and therefore have tremendous energy. Upon reaching the upper atmosphere of our planet, and they transfer this energy to the atoms of atmospheric gases, the core of which cascades more low-energy particles, which are recorded by ground detectors such as the detectors of the Vavilov-Cherenkov Observatory Pierre auger, located on the territory of Argentina. The study of cosmic rays and their origin will help us to better understand the origin of the Universe, our Galaxy, and ourselves.

In the new work, scientists collaboration Pierre Auger Collaboration indicate the presence of anisotropy in the distribution of more than 30,000 space particles in areas with which there is arrival. This means that there is the direction from which the particles arrive more frequently than from other directions. According to researchers, this direction is characterized by a high density of galaxies.

Although this finding indicates an extragalactic origin of cosmic rays, however, the available data do not allow us to pinpoint their sources in the sky, as the particles of cosmic rays when moving in the magnetic field of our Galaxy significantly (up to several tens of degrees) deviate from the original direction, the authors note.