A galactic mystery could soon be solved if University of Canterbury researchers are able to pinpoint the source of lightning-fast cosmic rays.
Cosmic rays are the highest energy particles in our galaxy and they travel at close to the speed of light, but their exact origins are unknown.
A world-first research project, which has won a $941,000 grant from the Marsden Fund Te Pūtea Rangahau a Marsden over the next three years, aims to discover where in our galaxy these rays come from, and how they are generated.
Professor Jenni Adams from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury School of Physical and Chemical Sciences is leading the study using data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, the world’s largest neutrino detector which is equipped with over 5,000 sensors buried under tonnes of ice at Antarctica’s South Pole.
Finding out more about the high-energy particles within cosmic rays could lead to discoveries with real-world applications, Professor Adams says.
“It’s about pushing our understanding. Big discoveries come from following natural phenomenon and finding out more about them. Huge technological leaps may well come from studying how the energy of cosmic rays is produced, in the same way that people have come up with lasers and electricity in the past.
“We hope that what we’re doing now could have a major impact in the future.”