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Article: Team finds abundant heavy nuclei in the highest-energy cosmic rays: iron's presence deepens puzzle about rare particles' origins.(Atom & Cosmos)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- July 18, 2009
- Author:
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BLOIS, France -- In the genteel surroundings of the Blois chateau, home to 16th century French royalty, a controversial finding about the highest-energy cosmic rays landed with a thud. If confirmed, the new report could spark a revolution in the way astronomers think about these speedy but rare charged particles, which carry as much oomph as a big league pitcher's fastball.
Scientists have generally assumed that the most energetic cosmic rays are primarily protons. Heavier nuclei such as iron are more easily accelerated to high energies because of their greater electric charge, but heavy nuclei are also more fragile. Collisions with photons left over from the Big ...