The discovery was made possible thanks to the Cherenkov Altitude Water Observatory (HAWC), an advanced space lens designed to observe high-energy particles associated with gamma rays and cosmic rays. Its unique design includes a network of 300 large tanks filled with purified water located at the top of extinct volcanoes in Mexico.

When high-energy particles from space collide with the water in these reservoirs, they create a phenomenon known as Cherenkov radiation. Named after Nobel laureate Pavel Cherenkov, this bluish glow appears when electrically charged particles move at a certain speed in a medium such as water.

details of the study

Meher Un Nisa, a Michigan State University researcher and co-author of the study, explained that HAWC’s wide field of view covers 15% of the sky, allowing it to continuously survey space and track the source of high-energy particles reaching Earth. .

A recent discovery challenges previous ideas about solar radiation. While gamma rays have been observed during extreme events such as powerful solar flares, recently detected gamma rays do not appear to be associated with such events. Conventional solar radiation consists of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared wavelengths, but the energy of the gamma rays detected in this study is about 1 trillion electron volts – much more than the energy of typical solar emissions.

Despite the theory that nuclear fusion processes in the Sun can produce these high-energy waves, they generally do not leave the surface of the star. Instead, the Sun mainly emits waves that are visible to the naked eye.

We know more about the sun

This remarkable discovery follows previous observations by NASA’s Fermi Space Gamma-ray Telescope in 2011, when gamma rays with energies exceeding one billion electron volts were first recorded. However, the Fermi telescope was limited in detecting gamma rays with energies of up to about 200 billion electron volts. HAWC’s capabilities have overcome this limitation, and its researchers began collecting data in 2015.

Meher Un Nisa stated that the latest results challenge preconceived notions about our Sun and its behavior. As scientists continue to analyze the data, more discoveries are expected about the Sun’s properties and the role of its magnetic field in producing these gamma rays.

This discovery highlights the ever-evolving understanding of celestial bodies and their complex processes, and encourages researchers to delve deeper into the mysteries of our Sun and the wider universe. As the scientific community grapples with the consequences of this unprecedented observation, new horizons in solar physics may be on the horizon.