Ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays are mysterious particles with energies millions of times greater than ground-based accelerators. Despite 60 years of research, their origins have remained a mystery. But now physicist Glennys Farrar of New York University has proposed a theory that may put an end to this scientific detective story.
Star merger and the birth of energy
According to the new hypothesis, the source of these rays are catastrophic mergers of neutron stars. During this process, which lasts millions of years, the two superdense stars orbit around a common center, gradually coming closer together. At the moment of collision, their core turns into a black hole, and magnetic fields and matter are ejected into space at incredible speeds. In these turbulent flows, particles acquire record energies, according to Farrar.
This theory not only explains the acceleration mechanism of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays, but also links them to two key phenomena:
- formation of heavy elements (gold, platinum, uranium) through the r-process;
- by the generation of gravitational waves, which are detected by the LIGO-Virgo detectors.
From mystery to discovery
Previously, science has been unable to explain why the energy of particles correlates with their charge, and why some events emit orders of magnitude more energy than others. Farrar’s model provides answers to these questions for the first time. For example, the heavy nuclei (xenon, tellurium) created during fusion become “fuel” for cosmic rays, which is confirmed by their composition.
The theory suggests two proven outcomes:
- rare elements in cosmic rays: Experiments should detect traces of r-process (e.g., xenon) in the composition of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays;
- gravitational waves as markers: Each burst of ultra-high energy neutrinos should be accompanied by a signal from neutron star mergers.
This discovery breaks new ground in astrophysics. It not only reveals the nature of the most powerful particles, but also provides a tool for studying the largest cosmic catastrophes. The next steps are experimental confirmation of the predictions, which could change our understanding of the evolution of the Universe.
According to Phys.org
