Scientists at Michigan State University have made a groundbreaking discovery of the most intense form of light, gamma rays, emanating from the sun. This revelation was made possible by the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory (HAWC), situated in Mexico, which detects the gamma rays that lose energy in Earth’s atmosphere and pose no threat to life. The unexpected abundance and brightness of these gamma rays have led to new inquiries into our understanding of the sun and its high-energy processes.
The lead researcher, Mehr Un Nisa, expressed amazement at the findings, stating that the sun’s behavior defies previous assumptions and challenges our current knowledge of this celestial body. HAWC’s distinctive operating model allows it to observe the sun’s gamma rays day and night, unlike other ground-based telescopes restricted to nocturnal observations.
HAWC’s design, featuring a network of water tanks, enables it to detect the Cherenkov radiation created when gamma rays collide with air in the atmosphere, generating particle showers that are otherwise invisible to the naked eye.
The discovery was made after years of data collection, revealing gamma rays with energies up to 1 tera electron volt (TeV) from the sun. This energy level and the abundance of gamma rays surprised scientists, contradicting earlier predictions. Previous instruments, like NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, could not detect such high-energy gamma rays.
While the discovery of gamma rays from the sun has led to new questions about their origin and the role of the sun’s magnetic fields, it has also expanded our understanding of our galaxy and challenged our assumptions about the sun’s behavior.
Overall, this revelation has shed new light on the sun’s behavior and deepened our knowledge of high-energy phenomena in the galaxy, thanks to the pioneering research carried out by the HAWC Collaboration and their innovative observatory.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about solar discovery
What did the researchers discover about the sun?
The researchers at Michigan State University discovered an unprecedented occurrence of high-energy light, specifically gamma rays, coming from the sun. This discovery was made possible using the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory (HAWC) located in Mexico.
How were the gamma rays from the sun detected?
The gamma rays emitted by the sun lose energy in Earth’s atmosphere, making them harmless to life. These rays were detected by the HAWC observatory, which employs a unique network of 300 large water tanks, capable of observing air showers produced when gamma rays collide with air molecules.
What makes the discovery significant?
The discovery is remarkable due to the unexpected abundance and brightness of the gamma rays. It challenges previous assumptions about the sun’s behavior and raises new questions about its high-energy processes and the role of its magnetic fields.
How does HAWC operate?
HAWC operates 24/7, in contrast to other ground-based telescopes limited to nighttime observations. It uses Cherenkov radiation, generated when shower particles produced by gamma rays interact with water in its tanks, to detect and study high-energy phenomena in our galaxy.
What are the implications of the discovery?
The discovery deepens our understanding of our nearest star, the sun, and expands our knowledge of high-energy processes in the galaxy. It paves the way for further research on the origin of these gamma rays and the sun’s role as a source of high-energy light in the cosmos.
More about solar discovery
- Michigan State University’s press release: Link
- Research paper in Physical Review Letters: Link
- High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory (HAWC) website: Link
