Mysterious cosmic electrons found near our solar system
A team of scientists, using a network of telescopes in Namibia, has detected electrons with remarkably high energy. Although their origin is unknown, research suggests that their source is close to the Solar System. This marks the first detection of such exceptionally strong cosmic radiation.
27 November 2024 08:21
Cosmic radiation consists of high-energy, charged particles moving at immense speeds, close to the speed of light, in outer space. Their sources can include objects such as the Sun, black holes, pulsars, exploding stars, or remnants of supernovae. As reported by National Geographic, Earth is protected from their harmful effects thanks to the atmosphere and magnetosphere, which effectively block most of this radiation.
Studying cosmic radiation, especially its most energetic components, is an extremely challenging task. After ten years of work, an international team of scientists, using the H.E.S.S. observatory in Namibia, achieved significant success.
The journal "Physical Review Letters" describes the discovery of cosmic radiation electrons with a record high energy reaching 40 teraelectronvolts (TeV). This is about 400 times more than the maximum capabilities of terrestrial accelerators.
40 TeV is energy approximately a trillion times greater than that of visible light, which ranges from 1.6 to 3.3 electronvolts (eV). The origin of such high-energy particles remains a mystery. However, it is known that their source must be relatively close to Earth. Particles with such high energy quickly lose it while traveling through space. Therefore, electrons and positrons with 40 TeV energy could not have traveled too great a distance before being detected by the telescopes.
Radiation near Earth
According to researchers associated with the H.E.S.S. consortium, many stars, including the nearest ones about two light-years away, are within a few hundred light-years from Earth. In this region, there may also be "dead stars," such as pulsars or supernova remnants, which could potentially be sources of high-energy electrons.
Kathrin Egberts, a research team member, estimates that the source of these particles could be located a few thousand light-years from Earth, which is a small fraction compared to the total diameter of the Milky Way, about 100,000 light-years.
As reported by National Geographic, although the exact emission location of these charged particles could not be pinpointed, their presence indicates the existence of extremely powerful cosmic radiation accelerators nearby.
