Supernova Remnant Acts as a Particle Accelerator
Sam Wormley
http://www.universetoday.com/2006/11/15/supernova-remnant-acts-as-a-particle-accelerator/
November 15th, 2006
Instead of investing in particle accelerators here on Earth, physicists
might consider just blowing up a few stars. New images taken by the
Chandra X-Ray Observatory show how supernova remnant Cassiopeia A acts
as a natural particle accelerator, firing out cosmic rays. As particles
move around the remnant, they\u2019re accelerated by the tremendous
magnetic fields, eventually nearing the speed of light. The images from
Chandra show that the particles are being accelerated to the maximum
rate predicted by theories.
New clues about the origins of cosmic rays, mysterious high-energy
particles that bombard the Earth, have been revealed using NASA\u2019s
Chandra X-ray Observatory. An extraordinarily detailed image of the
remains of an exploded star provides crucial insight into the
generation of cosmic rays.
For the first time, astronomers have mapped the rate of acceleration of
cosmic ray electrons in a supernova remnant. The new map shows that the
electrons are being accelerated at close to the theoretically maximum
rate. This discovery provides compelling evidence that supernova
remnants are key sites for energizing charged particles.
See: http://www.universetoday.com/2006/11/15/supernova-remnant-acts-as-a-particle-accelerator/
Eric Gisse
Sam Wormley wrote:
[...]
It looks like in the last few years we may have figured out where high
energy particles and high energy photons are coming from. Nifty.