Scientists discover mysterious ray from beyond the Milky Way
Space scientists have detected an extremely rare and ultra-high-energy particle in the U.S. state of Utah, believed to have arrived on Earth from beyond the Milky Way Galaxy.
AA
According to a CNN report, the particle, identified by the "Telescope Array" cosmic ray observatory located in Utah's West Desert, has been named the "Amaterasu Particle," inspired by the sun goddess in Japanese mythology.
The study explained that the energy of this subatomic particle, which cannot be seen with the naked eye, could create an impact equivalent to dropping a brick on one's toe from waist height.
SECOND ONLY TO THE 1991 DISCOVERY
It was stated that the particle's energy ranks second only to the "Oh-My-God (OMG) particle," which was detected in 1991 and remains the most powerful cosmic ray ever observed.
The research noted that while low-energy cosmic rays are emitted by the Sun, extremely high-energy, rare cosmic rays reach Earth from other galaxies and sources outside the Milky Way.
Prof. Dr. John Matthews, a physics and astronomy expert at the University of Utah and one of the authors of the study, stated, "When you hold out your hand, a cosmic ray passes through your palm every second, but these are really low-energy particles. Truly high-energy cosmic rays are something that you might get one per square kilometer per century. They never pass through your hand."
It was noted that the "Telescope Array," which captured the particle, began operations in 2008, consists of 507 surface detectors the size of ping-pong tables spread over a 700-square-kilometer area, and has observed more than 30 ultra-high-energy cosmic rays to date.
It was emphasized that none of the particles captured by the Telescope Array were larger than the "Amaterasu Particle" that struck the atmosphere in Utah on May 27, 2021, and that the particle, which triggered 23 surface detectors, had a power of 244 exa-electron volts (244 quintillion electron volts).
The largest particle detected to date, the OMG particle, was recorded at 320 exa-electron volts.
Prof. Dr. Glennys Farrar, a faculty member at New York University who was not involved in the study, explained that an ultra-high-energy cosmic ray carries tens of millions of times more energy than any man-made particle accelerator, such as the "Large Hadron Collider (LHC)," the most powerful accelerator ever built.
Emphasizing that such particles require massive, natural, very high magnetic fields similar to the LHC to form, Farrar noted that the probability of these rays hitting Earth is very low due to the rarity of such formations and the fact that the resulting rays scatter into the vast, unknown reaches of the universe.
It was stated that while the Earth's atmosphere largely protects humans from the harmful effects of such particles, they can rarely cause minor computer glitches.
SOURCE OF THE HIGH-ENERGY PARTICLES REMAINS UNFOUND
The research noted that the origins of these high-energy particles could not be determined with certainty, suggesting they could stem from high-energy celestial bodies in the universe such as black holes, gamma-ray bursts, and "active galactic nuclei."
Matthews emphasized that the two largest cosmic rays recorded appear "somewhat random," and when their trajectories are traced backward, there is nothing in the potential source regions that could produce such particles.
Matthews indicated that the "Amaterasu Particle," in particular, might be coming from the "Local Void," an empty space surrounding the Milky Way Galaxy.
The research was published in the journal Science.