News Excerpt:
The GRAPES-3 experiment in Ooty, India, operated by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research has discovered a new feature in the cosmic-ray proton spectrum.
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About GRAPES-3 experiment: The GRAPES-3 experiment is located at Ooty at an altitude of 2200 m above mean sea level in India, it was started as a collaboration of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and the Osaka City University (Japan).
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Key findings of the experiment:
- The GRAPES-3 experiment has discovered a new feature in the cosmic-ray proton spectrum at about 166 tera-electron-volt (TeV) energy while measuring the spectrum spanning from 50 TeV to a little over 1 peta-electron-volt (PeV).
- The observed feature suggests a potential re-evaluation of our understanding of cosmic-ray sources, acceleration mechanisms, and their propagation within our galaxy.
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About Cosmic rays:
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Methodology used in the experiment:
- Researchers utilized a combination of a dense array of plastic scintillator detectors and a large-area muon detector.
- The researchers collected data with a collection area several thousand times larger than space-based detectors,
- It allowed researchers a more detailed examination of cosmic rays above 100 TeV, where space-based measurements lack precision due to low statistics.
- A subset of about 8 million cosmic ray shower events recorded by these detectors was analyzed.
- Researchers also used CPU-intensive computer simulations to measure the cosmic-ray spectrum.
Conclusion:
The GRAPES-3 experiment's discovery of a new feature in the cosmic-ray proton spectrum at 166 TeV prompts a reassessment of cosmic-ray origins and propagation. Utilizing advanced detector arrays and simulations, this finding enriches our understanding of high-energy astrophysical processes and their implications.
