Milky Way's High-Energy Particle Source Found
An international research team has identified a high-energy proton PeVatron in the Milky Way using data from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. This discovery helps explain the origin of cosmic rays that reach energies exceeding one quadrillion electron volts.
Why it matters
Understanding these particle accelerators provides fundamental insights into the high-energy processes occurring within our galaxy.
Observation by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope identified GeV gamma-ray excess toward LHAASO J1912-1014u and confirm it to be a proton PeVatron through multiwavelength observations and modeling. The source is marked by a solid circle and is largely extended, with a diameter of more than 1 degree. For comparison, the size of the Moon is indicated by a dashed circle. (Adapted from Tsunefumi Mizuno, et al. Astrophysical Journal. July 16, 2026)
Cosmic rays are made primarily of protons with a few electrons sprinkled in, and they can reach energies even higher than what human-made accelerators can produce. Considering human-made accelerators, such as the Large Hadron Collider on the border of Switzerland and France, can move protons to near the speed of light, it's no wonder that these super-energetic particles can influence cosmic events across the galaxy.
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