Los Alamos Observatory Fingers Cosmic Ray 'Hot Spots'

November 24, 2008

Milagro Observatory unveils something never before seen from Earth

A Los Alamos National Laboratory cosmic-ray observatory has seen for the first time two distinct hot spots that appear to be bombarding Earth with an excess of cosmic rays. The research calls into question nearly a century of understanding about galactic magnetic fields near our solar system.

Joining an international team of collaborators, Los Alamos researchers Brenda Dingus, Gus Sinnis, Gary Walker, Petra Hüntemeyer and John Pretz published the findings today in Physical Review Letters.

"The source of cosmic rays has been a 100-year-old problem for astrophysicists," Pretz said. "With the Milagro observatory, we identified two distinct regions with an excess of cosmic rays. These regions are relatively tiny bumps on the background of cosmic rays, which is why they were missed for so long. This discovery calls into question our understanding of cosmic rays and raises the possibility that an unknown source or magnetic effect near our solar system is responsible for these observations."

Cosmic rays are high-energy particles that move through our Galaxy from sources far away. No one knows exactly where cosmic rays come from, but scientists theorize they might originate from supernovae-massive stars that explode- from quasars or perhaps from other exotic, less-understood or yet-to-be-discovered sources within the universe.

Researchers used Los Alamos' Milagro cosmic-ray observatory to peer into the sky above the northern hemisphere for nearly seven years starting in July 2000. The observatory is unique in that it monitors the entire sky above the northern hemisphere. Because of its design and field of view, Milagro was able to record over 200 billion cosmic-ray collisions with the Earth's atmosphere.

"Our observatory is unique in that we can detect events of low enough energies that we were able to record enough cosmic-ray encounters to see a statistically significant fractional excess coming from two distinct regions of the sky," Dingus said.

Because cosmic rays are charged particles, magnetic fields from the Milky Way and our solar system change the flight paths of the particles so much that researchers had not been able to pinpoint their exact origin. Consequently, traditional wisdom has held that cosmic-ray events appear uniformly throughout the sky.

But because Milagro was able to record so many cosmic-ray events, researchers for the first time were able to see statistical peaks in the number of cosmic-ray events originating from specific regions of the sky near the constellation Orion. The region with the highest hot spot of cosmic rays is a concentrated bulls eye above and to the right visually of Orion, near the constellation Taurus. The other hot spot is a comma-shaped region visually occurring near the constellation Gemini.

The researchers created a graphic depiction of the hot spots that makes them appear as a pair of red cosmic rashes in a field of stars.

Milagro scientists are currently working with researchers in Mexico to build a second-generation observatory known as the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) experiment. If built, the HAWC observatory could help researchers solve the mystery of cosmic-ray origin.

In addition to the Los Alamos Milagro team, collaborators include nearly three dozen researchers from the following institutions: Naval Research Laboratory; University of California-Santa Cruz; University of Maryland; University of California-Irvine; George Mason University; New York University; Instituto de Astronomia, Universidad Nacionál Autonoma de Mexico; Michigan State University; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; University of New Hampshire.

Funding for the research came from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of High-Energy Physics and Office of Nuclear Physics; Los Alamos National Laboratory's Laboratory-Directed Research and Development fund and the Laboratory's Institute for Geophysics and Planetary Physics; and the National Science Foundation.

Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and Washington Group International for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.

Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.

Los Alamos National Laboratory

---

---

	Cosmic Rays and Particle Physics by Thomas K. Gaisser (Author) Over recent years there has been marked growth in interest in the study of techniques of cosmic ray physics by astrophysicists and particle physicists. Cosmic radiation is important for the astrophysicist because in the farther reaches of the universe. For particle physicists, it provides the opportunity to study neutrinos and very high energy particles of galactic origin. More importantly, cosmic rays constitue the background, and in some cases possibly the signal, for the more exotic unconfirmed hypothesized particles such as monopoles and sparticles. Concentrating on the highest energy cosmic rays, this book describes where they originate, acquire energy, and interact, in accreting neutron stars, supernova remnants, in large-scale shock waves. It also describes their interactions in...
	Cosmic Bullets: High Energy Particles In Astrophysics (Frontiers of Science) by Roger Clay (Author), Paul Davies (Author), Bruce Dawson (Author) In 1992 the fastest object known to mankind hit the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed within a billion-trillionth of one percent of the speed of light, carrying an energy far above that of the most powerful particle accelerator ever built. That object was a cosmic ray.Over 100 cosmic ray particles pass through our bodies every second. Some of these have enormous energies, far above those accessible using man-made particle accelerators. Many of them have traveled millions of light years across the Universe, and they bring with them clues about exotic astronomical systems like neutron stars, supernovae, quasars, and black holes.In Cosmic Bullets leading cosmic ray experts Roger Clay and Bruce Dawson tell the incredible story of the discovery and study of these messengers from deep space. They...
	High Energy Cosmic Rays (Springer Praxis Books / Astronomy and Planetary Sciences) by Todor Stanev (Author) Offers an accessible text and reference (a cosmic-ray manual) for graduate students entering the field and high-energy astrophysicists will find this an accessible cosmic-ray manual Easy to read for the general astronomer, the first part describes the standard model of cosmic rays based on our understanding of modern particle physics. Presents the acceleration scenario in some detail in supernovae explosions as well as in the passage of cosmic rays through the Galaxy. Compares experimental data in the atmosphere as well as underground are compared with theoretical models
	Fat Tire Tales & Trails: Arizona Mountain Bike Trail Guide by Cosmic Ray (Author), Cosmic Ray (Editor), Cosmic Ray (Editor) The most well known and well loved mountain bike trail guide to the best summer and winter fat tire fun in Arizona. Cartoony, down to earth maps are adapted from topos and forest service charts, yet are friendly and easy to use. Maps are to scale and oriented north. Each humorous route description includes distance, time, effort and skill required, best season to ride, level of route finding skill required, contour profile and "fear factor". There is also a step by step mileage log when applicable. A "preferred trail" icon is used to indicate a particularly great ride in a given area for those on a limited time schedule. Rides are included for all levels of ability, but emphasis is given to the intermediate / advanced rider. A few severe / extreme rides are also included for those on the...
	THE SCIENCE OF COLOURS - COSMIC AND HUMAN COLOUR RAYS by The Society of Friends of the White Knowledgeh ABOUT THE BOOK In truth, very few have written on the subject of the science of colours, the role colours play in man's self-knowledge, their influence on his personality, inquiring into their relationship and effect on his daily life, or investigating their role in his self-evolution. The book unveils the significance of colours in the human psyche and the chakras, their symbols, their relation to the Cosmic rays and life vibrations, all of which are reflected in the aura, that electro-magnetic field surrounding man's physical body. How do the colour rays interact in this field? How do they affect and are in turn affected by man's behaviour? All that is revealed in the aura's colour undulations. For, colours are the language of the esoteric side in man and its nutrition,...
	Favorite Hikes Flagstaff & Sedona by Cosmic Ray (Author), Cosmic Ray (Editor), Cosmic Ray (Editor) A guide to the best of the best Flagstaff and Sedona, Arizona day hikes. Every hike a guaranteed winner. No filler. Accurate, down to earth, easy to read maps. Each description features contour profile, distance, time, effort required, type (out and back, loop, etc.) and best season to hike. Included are detailed directions to the trailhead plus a verbal description of each hike. There is a "critter foot finder" guide to the footprints of many of the animals found in northern Arizona and hiking directions to vortex sites around Sedona.
	New Eyes on the Universe: Twelve Cosmic Mysteries and the Tools We Need to Solve Them (Springer Praxis Books / Popular Astronomy) by Stephen Webb (Author) “New Eyes on the Universe – Twelve Cosmic Mysteries and the Tools We Need to Solve Them” gives an up-to-date broad overview of some of the key issues in modern astronomy and cosmology. It describes the vast amount of observational data that the new generation of observatories and telescopes are currently producing, and how that data might solve some of the outstanding puzzles inherent in our emerging world view. Included are questions such as: What is causing the Universe to blow itself apart? What could be powering the luminous gamma-ray bursters? Where is all the matter in the Universe? Do other Earths exist? Is there intelligent life out there? The renowned author explains clearly, without recourse to mathematics, why each question is puzzling and worthy of research. Included in...
	Celestial Messengers: Cosmic Rays (Astronomers' Universe) by Mario Bertolotti (Author) The book describes from a historical point of view how cosmic rays were discovered. The book describes the research in cosmic rays. The main focus is on how the knowledge was gained, describing the main experiments and the conclusions drawn. Biographical sketches of main researchers are provided. Cosmic rays have an official date of discovery which is linked to the famous balloon flights of the Austrian physicist Hess in 1912. The year 2012 can therefore be considered the centenary of the discovery.
	Cosmic Ray Physics: Nuclear and Astrophysical Aspects (Physics & Astronomical Monograph) by S. Hayakawa (Author)
	High Energy Radiation from Black Holes: Gamma Rays, Cosmic Rays, and Neutrinos (Princeton Series in Astrophysics) by Charles D. Dermer (Author), Govind Menon (Author) Bright gamma-ray flares observed from sources far beyond our Milky Way Galaxy are best explained if enormous amounts of energy are liberated by black holes. The highest- energy particles in nature--the ultra-high-energy cosmic rays--cannot be confined by the Milky Way's magnetic field, and must originate from sources outside our Galaxy. Understanding these energetic radiations requires an extensive theoretical framework involving the radiation physics and strong-field gravity of black holes. In High Energy Radiation from Black Holes, Charles Dermer and Govind Menon present a systematic exposition of black-hole astrophysics and general relativity in order to understand how gamma rays, cosmic rays, and neutrinos are produced by black holes.Beginning with Einstein's special and general...