New data shows cosmic rays are more complex than expected
Thursday, April 9, 2015 - 15:30
in Astronomy & Space
During the American Physical Society's 2015 April Meeting, to be held April 11-14 in Baltimore, Maryland, Eun Joo Ahn from Fermilab will present data from the most extensive study yet on the composition of cosmic rays—an 8-year-long project carried out at the Argentina-based Pierre Auger Observatory. Their results show that cosmic rays are more complex than previously thought: instead of being made up solely of very light particles (like protons) or very heavy ones (like iron), the data suggest that midweight particles like helium and nitrogen are significant components of cosmic rays.