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What new discoveries have been made about cosmic rays in recent years?

Laquita Quinnette

Hey friend!

Hope you're doing well. In response to your question about new discoveries on cosmic rays, there have been some pretty interesting findings in recent years!

For starters, scientists have discovered that cosmic rays are not only coming from the Milky Way galaxy, but also from other galaxies beyond ours. This was a pretty big deal, as it confirms what many theorists had already hypothesized. By analyzing the direction and energy of incoming cosmic rays, researchers were able to determine that some of these high-energy particles were coming from beyond our own galaxy. This means that these cosmic rays have traveled billions of years to reach us, which is pretty mind-blowing!

Another recent discovery about cosmic rays is the identification of a new particle called the "anomalous positron." This particle was first observed by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) on the International Space Station in 2013. Basically, it's a positron (the anti-particle of an electron) that has a higher energy than expected. Scientists were surprised to find so many of these anomalous positrons, as they had previously only seen a few scattered about. The discovery of these particles has led to many new questions about the origin and nature of cosmic rays.

Perhaps one of the most exciting recent discoveries related to cosmic rays is the detection of "ghost particle" neutrinos. In 2018, IceCube (a neutrino detector in Antarctica) observed a high-energy neutrino coming from deep space. This was a big deal, as neutrinos are incredibly difficult to detect due to their weak interactions with matter. The detection of this neutrino was significant not only because it confirms the existence of high-energy neutrinos from outside our galaxy, but also because it opens up new ways to study the universe.

Overall, there have been some pretty exciting discoveries related to cosmic rays in recent years. From new particles to evidence of cosmic rays coming from beyond our galaxy, these findings provide insight into some of the most mysterious and energetic phenomena in the universe.