Chinese researchers have discovered a giant ultra-high-energy gamma-ray bubble structure in the Milky Way, shedding light on the origin of cosmic rays with energy higher than 10 Peta-Electronvolt (PeV) for the first time, according to the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
Scientists believe that a cosmic ray accelerator inside this bubble-like structure is the origin of cosmic rays, continuously producing cosmic ray particles with energies exceeding 10 Peta electron volts. They infer that the massive star cluster near the center of this bubble-like structure may be the source of the cosmic rays, referring to it as the “O-star association” and “B-star association.”
This discovery represents the first super cosmic ray accelerator identified. With increasing observation time, the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) is expected to detect more super cosmic ray accelerators, potentially solving the mystery of the origin of cosmic rays in the Milky Way.
