There are cosmic ray bombarding our major planet forever with a wide range of energy . Occasionally , there are some with unbelievable energy , released by catastrophic explosion or interaction in the universe , such as supernovae . New research suggests that even the material exit over by a supernova can release these cosmic beam , long after the explosion .
Published inPhysical Review Letters , the work focused on supernova end G106.3 + 2.7 . A dramatic stellar burst left behind a pulsar and a swarm of rubble that is slamming into interstellar gas . This interaction produce gamma - ray , which intimate that particle are being accelerate to gamey Department of Energy – 1,000 meter high than what the particle accelerator at CERN can attain .
“ Theorists consider the high-pitched - energy cosmic ray protons in the Milky Way touch a million billion electron volts , or PeV energies , ” lead writer Ke Fang , an adjunct professor of physical science at the University of Wisconsin , Madison , say in astatement . “ The precise nature of their sources , which we call PeVatrons , has been difficult to pin down . ”
Different gamma-ray views of the system showing how the shockwaves are extremely bright at high energy. Image Credit: NASA/Fermi/Fang et al. 2022
This curious cosmic object , located 2,600 light - years off from Earth , had several authentication that made it a plausible PeVatron , asprevious research take . Thanks to over a ten ’s Charles Frederick Worth of data point from NASA ’s Fermi Gamma - re Space Telescope , the team could distinguish between the contribution in gamma - ray from the pulsar and that from the shockwaves in the supernova end .
“ This object has been a reservoir of considerable pastime for a while now , but to top it as a PeVatron , we have to establish it ’s accelerate proton , ” explained cobalt - generator Henrike Fleischhack at the Catholic University of America in Washington and NASA ’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt , Maryland .
“ The catch is that electrons accelerate to a few hundred TeV can produce the same expelling . Now , with the assist of 12 years of Fermi data , we think we ’ve made the case that G106.3 + 2.7 is indeed a PeVatron . ”
The team found that while the pulsar dominates the lower energies of gamma - rays , the emission at high get-up-and-go follow from both the pulsar and shockwave . grounds that the gamma - rays are being bring about by some extremely high - energy phenomenon such as these protons .
“ So far , G106.3 + 2.7 is unique , but it may call on out to be the brightest fellow member of a new universe of supernova remnants that emit gamma rays reaching TeV vigour , ” Fang mention . “ More of them may be break through next observations by Fermi and very - high - vigor gamma - ray of light observatories . ”
