Cosmic rays and some research suggestions

(This article has been cross-posted from SayPeople.com)

Cosmic ray illustration (Credit: NSF / J. Yang)

Main Point:

Cosmic rays are among the only intergalactic matter available for direct observation. They have a high energy range and could hold information for some new form of physics.

Published in:

Nuclear Physics B Proceedings Supplement

Study Further:

Pulsar:

It is referred to as a small dense star that releases brief, intense bursts of visible radiation, radio waves, and X-rays, and is thought to be a rapidly rotating neutron star.

Quasar:

It refers to a compact object present at a very large distance from us in space, usually with a large red shift. It releases huge amounts of energy that could be equal to the energy output of an entire galaxy.

Cosmic Rays:

Cosmic rays are a stream of high-energy radiation that reaches the earth from outer space. These are the only interstellar and intergalactic matter available to us for direct investigation.

We can study the protons and electrons in the local universe with the help of cosmic rays emitted in the interstellar space in the Milky Way and in other galaxies. They have an energy range of 10⁶ to 10²⁰ eV that can help scientists to study particle interactions in the natural accelerator as this level of energy cannot be attained with the help of present technology.

Observations at relatively low energies can be done from space and can help in giving most detailed information about cosmic rays that can be used to obtain the information regarding global properties of the Galaxy such as diffusion co-efficient and the size of the region filled with cosmic rays.

Cosmic rays are found to be a widespread phenomenon related to the process of star formation.

Research suggestions:

In the field of astronomy, cosmic rays need a lot of research. You can work on this phenomenon. According to researchers, they may hold information for some new physics that is still to be explored.

Scientists are still unclear about the mechanism of the sharp increase in the positron fraction e⁺/(e⁺+e^-) . You can work on this sharp increase in positron fraction that is thought to be caused by some primary source such as astrophysical object like pulsars or microquasars, or dark matter annihilation.

Reference:

Igor V. Moskalenko (2013). Cosmic Rays in the Milky Way and Beyond Nuclear Physics B Proceedings Supplement arXiv: 1308.5482v1