Chinese researchers have discovered a giant ultra-high-energy gamma-ray bubble structure in the Milky Way, revealing the origin of cosmic rays with energy higher than 10 Peta-Electronvolt (PeV) for the first time, as perthe Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
Through research on the interior of this bubble-like structure, scientists believe that there is a cosmic ray accelerator inside, which is the origin of cosmic rays, and this origin continuously produces cosmic ray particles with energies exceeding 10 Peta electron volts. Through their studies, scientists infer that the massive star cluster near the center of this bubble-like structure may be the source of the cosmic rays they receive, and they refer to it as the “O-star association” and “B-star association.”
This is the first super cosmic ray accelerator identified as of now, according to the Institute. With increasing observation time, the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) is expected to detect more super cosmic ray accelerators, and hopefully solve the mystery of the origin of cosmic rays in the Milky Way.
