A space telescope has detected a universal pattern in cosmic particles that researchers have sought to identify since 1912. The DAMPE satellite has found the same feature in several cosmic ray nuclei, from light protons to iron nuclei. The discovery, published in the journal Nature, may finally reveal how these particles are accelerated and transported through the universe after decades of scientific debate.
The research points to a common physical principle that governs the behavior of all these particles, regardless of their mass or composition. Scientists achieved a 99.999% confidence level when validating this theory against alternative models, creating an important milestone for modern astrophysics.
The pattern that appears in all particles
The DAMPE data revealed a phenomenon called spectral softening in several types of cosmic rays. The number of detected particles drops suddenly after a certain rigidity threshold, specifically around 15 teraelectronvolts. Essa marked reduction appears consistently in protons, helium, carbon, oxygen, and iron.
Andrii Tykhonov, associate professor of Departamento of Física Nuclear and Partículas of Universidade of Genebra and co-author of the study, explained the composition of these particles and their energy levels:
- Prótons: primary cosmic ray particles
- Núcleos of helium, carbon, oxygen and iron: secondary components
- Energia low: up to a few billion electron volts
- Energia intermediate: from a few billion to several hundred billion electron volts
- Energia high: above 1,000 billion electron volts
Stiffness, measured in teraelectronvolts, describes how strongly a charged particle resists being bent by magnetic fields as it travels through space. Essa property proved to be more fundamental than energy per nucleon, a concept that guided most previous research.
A centuries-old quest ended
Cosmic rays are charged particles that travel through the galaxy at extremely high energies. Scientists believe they originate in violent astrophysical phenomena, including supernova explosions, pulsars and jets emitted by black holes. Durante Over a hundred years, researchers have debated the exact mechanisms of acceleration and transport of these particles.
The DAMPE telescope, whose acronym stands for Explorador of Partículas of Matéria Escura, was launched in December 2015 with the initial objective of detecting dark matter. Data collected since then has provided an unprecedented amount of information about high-energy cosmic rays. The satellite’s orbital mission enabled continuous observations that revealed patterns impossible to detect with ground-based instruments.
Como rigidity explains universal behavior
The DAMPE observations strongly support that cosmic rays are shaped by rigidity rather than energy divided by the number of nucleons. Old models based on this last metric do not fit well with data collected by the satellite over the last ten years. The discovery imposes more stringent limits on current models of particle acceleration in extreme astrophysical environments.
The researchers say the findings help to better understand how cosmic rays acquire their enormous energy before traversing interstellar space. Understanding this mechanism is fundamental to understanding the dynamics of violent cosmic phenomena. The role played by magnetic fields, shock waves and violent cosmic events still remains partially debated, but now with much more solid evidence.
The research represents a significant advance in particle astrophysics. By demonstrating that different types of cosmic rays follow the same universal physical rule, scientists have opened new perspectives for understanding how nature accelerates and transports particles at extreme energies through the cosmos.