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Iron-ic Twist Deepens Cosmic Ray Puzzle
from Science News
BLOIS, France -- In the genteel surroundings of the Blois chateau ... a controversial finding about the highest-energy cosmic rays has landed with a thud. If confirmed, a new report could spark a revolution in the way astronomers think about these speedy but rare charged particles, which carry as much oomph as a big league pitcher's fastball.
Scientists have generally assumed that the most energetic cosmic rays are primarily protons. That's true even though heavier nuclei such as iron are more easily accelerated to high energies because of their greater electric charge.
... "Ask anybody what are the highest-energy [cosmic ray] particles, and they'd say 'protons,'" says physics Nobel laureate James W. Cronin of the University of Chicago. But, as he announced June 22 at the Windows on the Universe meeting, the Pierre Auger Observatory in Malargüe, Argentina, has identified an abundance of iron nuclei at some of the highest energies its cosmic ray detectors can record.
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