Strange Solar Gamma Rays Discovered at Even Higher Energies

Scientists have discovered extremely high-energy gamma rays emanating from the Sun, a phenomenon that has never been seen before. The discovery, made using the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory in Mexico, could shed new light on the Sun's magnetic field and its impact on Earth's atmosphere.

Gamma rays are the most energetic form of light, and their detection can help us understand the high-energy processes that occur in the universe. In the case of the Sun, these gamma rays are believed to be produced by interactions between cosmic rays and the Sun's magnetic field.

While gamma rays from the Sun have been detected before, this is the first time that they have been observed at such high energies. The gamma rays detected by HAWC have energies up to 400 billion electron volts (GeV), which is about 100 billion times more energetic than the light we see with our eyes.

The discovery was made by a team of scientists from Mexico, the United States, and Germany, who analyzed data from the HAWC observatory collected between 2015 and 2019. They found that the gamma rays were coming from the direction of the Sun, and were produced by interactions between cosmic rays and the Sun's magnetic field.

One possible explanation for the high-energy gamma rays is that they are produced by a process known as inverse Compton scattering. In this process, cosmic rays collide with low-energy photons in the Sun's atmosphere, producing gamma rays.

The discovery of these high-energy gamma rays could help us understand the Sun's magnetic field and its impact on Earth's atmosphere. The Sun's magnetic field plays a crucial role in protecting the Earth from the harmful effects of cosmic radiation, but it is still not well understood.

By studying the gamma rays produced by cosmic ray interactions with the Sun's magnetic field, scientists may be able to gain new insights into the properties of the magnetic field and how it affects the Earth's atmosphere.

The HAWC observatory, which is located at an altitude of 4,100 meters in Mexico, is a collaboration between institutions in Mexico and the United States. Its main goal is to study the high-energy gamma rays produced by cosmic rays in the Milky Way galaxy and beyond.

The discovery of high-energy gamma rays from the Sun is a testament to the power of the HAWC observatory and the ongoing efforts of scientists around the world to understand the mysteries of the universe.