Amaterasu particle
The Amaterasu particle, named after the sun goddess in Japanese mythology, was an ultra-high-energy cosmic ray detected in 2021 and later identified in 2023, using the Telescope Array Project observatory in Utah, United States. It had an energy exceeding 240 exa-electronvolts (EeV) and was inferred through two dozens particles it sent toward ground detectors. This single particle appears to have emerged from the Local Void, an empty area of space bordering the Milky Way galaxy.[1] That single subatomic particle contained an equivalent energy of a human dropping a brick from their waist on to its toe. No promising astronomical object matching the direction from which the cosmic ray arrived has been identified.[2]
It is the most powerful cosmic ray detected since the Oh-My-God particle, which measured around 320 EeV, was discovered in 1991.[3]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "'What the heck is going on?' Extremely high-energy particle detected falling to Earth". The Guardian. 2023-11-24. Archived from the original on November 24, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ "Second OMG cosmic ray particle breaks physics again". Cosmosmagazine.com. 2023-11-24. Archived from the original on November 24, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ Conroy, Gemma (2023-11-23). "The most powerful cosmic ray since the Oh-My-God particle puzzles scientists". Nature. doi:10.1038/d41586-023-03677-0.
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