Milky Way discovery by China team
Print Edition
Chinese scientists have detected a dozen ultra-high-energy cosmic accelerators within the Milky Way, a find that could overturn humanity鈥檚 understanding of the galaxy and help reveal the origin of cosmic rays, which have puzzled scientists for a century.
The findings were based on the observations of China鈥檚 Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory, one of the country鈥檚 key national science and technology infrastructure facilities, which is under construction in Daocheng, in southwest China鈥檚 Sichuan Province.
The new discoveries were published in Nature yesterday.
Scientists led by the Institute of High Energy Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences made the discoveries after an 11-month observation using the completed half of the installation.
Scientists have also detected photons with energies exceeding 1 peta-electron volt (quadrillion electron-volts or PeV), 100 times more energy than the record high achieved by any manmade accelerator. One photon with an energy of 1.4 PeV was detected, the highest value ever recorded.
鈥淭hese findings overturn our traditional understanding of the Milky Way and open up an era of UHE gamma astronomy. These observations will prompt us to rethink the mechanism by which high-energy particles are generated and propagated in the Milky Way,鈥 said Cao Zhen, chief scientist of LHAASO.
鈥淭hese observations will encourage us to explore more deeply violent celestial phenomena and their physical processes, as well as to test basic physical laws under extreme conditions.鈥
鈥淭hese findings bring us closer to understanding the origins of extremely high-energy cosmic rays,鈥 said Karl Ziemelis, chief physical sciences editor for Nature.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
