Scientists Nagoya University (Japan) to determine the number of cosmic rays produced in the supernova remnant. This has allowed to reveal the origin of the mysterious puzzle of the centenary of radiation detected in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. This publication reports Science Alert.
Although it is assumed that the cosmic events associated with the Sun, supernovae, gamma-ray bursts and active galactic nuclei in quasars, their exact origins remained a mystery since its opening in 1912. In recent years astronomers found growing evidence that cosmic rays are produced due to residues supernew: latest accelerated protons react with the protons in the interstellar medium, producing gamma rays of very high energy. However, gamma rays are also produced by electrons that interact with infrared photons or photons of the microwave background.
The researchers conducted observations of a supernova remnant RX J1713. It was found that the protons have 67 ± 8 percent of cosmic rays, while cosmic rays into electrons have 33 ± 8 percent, i.e., the ratio is about 70/30. It was obtained thanks to the fact that the intensity of gamma rays due to collisions of protons with other protons in the interstellar medium, should be proportional to the density of the interstellar gas. At the same time, the gamma radiation induced by the collisions of photons with electrons, should be proportional to the intensity of X-ray non-thermal emission of electrons.
Thus, the gamma radiation of protons is more common in affluent gas interstellar areas whereas emission caused by electrons is amplified in poor gas fields.