Researchers at Michigan State University have made a groundbreaking discovery, detecting the highest-energy light, or gamma rays, ever observed from the sun. The team used the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory (HAWC) located in Mexico to study high-energy phenomena in our galaxy. The findings pose new questions about our understanding of the sun and its high-energy processes.
The gamma rays lose energy in Earth’s atmosphere, making them harmless to life. However, this also allows them to be detected by researchers using HAWC, unlike other ground-based telescopes that only operate at night. HAWC, funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Council of Humanities Science and Technology, works around the clock, providing a continuous observation of the sun.
The discovery of the high-energy gamma rays from the sun came as a surprise to researchers. The rays were not only of higher energy than expected but also more abundant. The observations revealed gamma rays with energies of about 1 trillion electron volts (1 TeV), far exceeding the previous understanding of the sun’s gamma ray emissions.
Scientists had predicted in the 1990s that the sun could produce gamma rays when high-energy cosmic rays collide with protons in the sun. However, it was believed that these gamma rays would be rare and unlikely to reach Earth. The first observations of gamma rays in the billion-electron-volt range came from NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope in 2011, showing that these rays were more energetic and numerous than expected. The HAWC Collaboration took on the task of studying the sun’s gamma rays beyond what previous instruments could detect.
The discovery of such high-energy gamma rays from the sun raises new questions about how they are generated and the role of the sun’s magnetic fields in this process. The findings challenge previous understanding and shed new light on our closest star. The research team hopes that further study will provide insights into the sun’s high-energy processes and contribute to our understanding of the galaxy as a whole.
Overall, this discovery highlights the importance of continuous observation and the advancements in technology that enable researchers to explore new phenomena. It demonstrates that there are still many mysteries to uncover about our own sun and the universe it resides in.