Scientists baffled after extremely high-energy particle detected falling to Earth
Astronomers around the world were left stunned when a rare and extremely high-energy particle was detected falling to Earth, defying all previous expectations and theories.
Named after the Japanese sun goddess, Amaterasu, this particle possesses an energy exceeding 240 exa-electron volts (EeV), placing it among the highest-energy cosmic rays ever observed.
Only once before has a particle with such immense energy been recorded – the Oh-My-God particle, which was detected in 1991 and had an energy of 320 EeV. The discovery of the Amaterasu particle has left even some of the most renowned scientists scratching their heads.
Toshihiro Fujii, an associate professor at Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan, recalls his initial reaction in disbelief when he first discovered the particle. "I thought there must have been a mistake," he said.
The mystery only deepens as scientists try to trace the origin of the particle. According to John Matthews, a research professor at the University of Utah, there was nothing in the vicinity with enough energy to have produced such an event.
The Amaterasu particle seemingly came out of nowhere, emerging from the Local Void – an empty region of space at the edge of the Milky Way galaxy.
"You should be able to point to where they come from in the sky," Matthews explained. "But in the case of the Oh-My-God particle and this new particle, you trace its trajectory to its source and there's nothing high energy enough to have produced it. That's the mystery – what the heck is going on?"
Typically, when ultra-high-energy cosmic rays hit Earth's atmosphere, they trigger a cascade of secondary particles and electromagnetic radiation, known as an extensive air shower. These showers can be detected by specialized instruments, such as the Telescope Array observatory in Utah, which first recorded the Amaterasu particle.
The hope now is that further investigation into this rare event will lead to a better understanding of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays and their origins. However, experts are at a loss to explain the Amaterasu particle's existence. It could potentially indicate a much larger magnetic deflection than previously thought, an unknown source in the Local Void, or an incomplete understanding of high-energy particle physics.
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John Beltz, another professor at the University of Utah, admits he is "spit-balling crazy ideas" to try and make sense of the inexplicable findings. "These events seem like they're coming from completely different places in the sky. It's not like there's one mysterious source," he added. "It could be defects in the structure of spacetime, colliding cosmic strings. But there's not a conventional explanation."
The detection of the Amaterasu particle has truly left scientists in a state of bewilderment, with many questions and theories yet to be explored.