And thanks to the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina and the Telescope Array in Utah, we can detect these showers and extract information about the cosmic rays themselves. The result is a shower of particles spread over an area 5 km wide at the Earth’s surface. When one such ray enters the atmosphere, it collides with air molecules, which in turn knock into other particles, resulting in a cascade effect all the way to the ground. But while we know a great deal about regular cosmic rays, what UHECRs are made from, where in the heavens they come from and what accelerates them remain a mystery.įortunately, some UHECRs occasionally rain down on planet Earth.
#What is the most unknown riddle in the world series
They’re the super-energetic brethren of common-or-garden cosmic rays, which were first spotted by Austrian scientist Victor Hess during a famous series of daring hot-air balloon flights 50 years earlier. Known as ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs), these particles were discovered in 1962. Quite simply, they’re the most energetic particles ever seen in nature. Given that the top particle energy at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider is about 10 13 eV, some of these particles are a million times more energetic than anything we can fashion at the most powerful particle accelerator on the planet. Whatever they are or wherever they’re from, these particles can be anything between 10 18 eV and 10 20 eV.
Benjamin Skuse reveals how cosmic-ray mysteries are continuing to test our understanding of high-energy physicsįar, far away, something – somewhere – is creating particles with crazy amounts of energy. Ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays are the most energetic and rarest of particles in the universe – and also one of the most enigmatic. Webinars Tune into online presentations that allow expert speakers to explain novel tools and applications.Video Watch our specially filmed videos to get a different slant on the latest science.Podcasts Our regular conversations with inspiring figures from the scientific community.Audio and video Explore the sights and sounds of the scientific world.Supercool physics Experiments that probe the exotic behaviour of matter at ultralow temperatures depend on the latest cryogenics technology.The science and business of space Explore the latest trends and opportunities associated with designing, building, launching and exploiting space-based technologies.Revolutions in computing Find out how scientists are exploiting digital technologies to understand online behaviour and drive research progress.Nanotechnology in action The challenges and opportunities of turning advances in nanotechnology into commercial products.#BlackInPhysics Celebrating Black physicists and revealing a more complete picture of what a physicist looks like.Artificial intelligence Explore the ways in which today’s world relies on AI, and ponder how this technology might shape the world of tomorrow.Collections Explore special collections that bring together our best content on trending topics.Innovation showcases A round-up of the latest innovation from our corporate partners.Projects and facilities Follow the latest progress at the world’s top scientific experiments.Policy and funding Understand how emerging policy changes could affect your work and career.Education and outreach Learn about novel approaches to educating and inspiring the scientists of the future.Business and innovation Find out how recent scientific breakthroughs are driving business innovation and commercial growth.Impact Explore the value of scientific research for industry, the economy and society.Personalities Find out who’s doing what in industry and academia.Interviews Discover the views of leading figures in the scientific community.Opinion and reviews Find out whether you agree with our expert commentators.Careers Consider your career options with valuable advice and insightful case studies.People Meet the people behind the science.Events Plan the meetings and conferences you want to attend with our comprehensive events calendar.Blog Enjoy a more personal take on the key events in and around science.Analysis Discover the stories behind the headlines.Features Take a deeper look at the emerging trends and key issues within the global scientific community.
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