Scientists solve the mystery of unusual cosmic radiation 17:29

Scientists from East China Normal University have proposed a possible solution to the problem of excess muons caused by the interaction of cosmic rays with the Earth’s atmosphere. Gluon condensation plays an important role in this process. The study was published in the journal Astrophysical Journal.

When high-energy cosmic rays, consisting mainly of protons and helium, interact with atomic nuclei in the upper atmosphere, strings of particles such as pions, kaons and baryons are formed. These particles then decay to form muons, heavy analogues of electrons.

Muons have great penetrating power and reach the Earth’s surface with an energy of approximately four gigaelectronvolts. However, the number of muons observed exceeds those theoretically predicted by 30–60% for energies between six and sixteen exaelectronvolts.

The researchers suggest that the muon abundance may be related to the characteristics of the initial collision of cosmic rays with nuclei in the atmosphere. In these collisions, the condensation of gluons, which are particles that carry the strong interaction according to their hypotheses, occurs.

Gluons can form high energy density states known as gluon condensates. These states create “strange” quarks and antiquarks, which are fundamental particles of matter. Quarks also participate in the formation of other particles (kaons and pions), leading to an increase in the number of muons. Under conditions of gluon condensation, the production of strange quarks increases by a factor of 10 compared to ordinary quark-gluon plasma.

This research brings a new approach to studying the processes in high-energy collisions and the interactions of cosmic rays with the Earth’s atmosphere. Conventional physics models do not explain the abundance of muons, but the gluon condensation hypothesis could be an important step in solving this problem.

Previous scientists mottled Powerful cosmic rays emanating from places close to the Earth.