NASA reveals mysterious energy traps in the center of the Milky Way

Scientists have discovered a "trap" in the center of our Milky Way that can "capture" high-energy cosmic rays.

Accordingly, these particles move at almost the speed of light, and are created outside the galaxy center before being slowed by gas clouds.

This phenomenon was discovered using data from NASA's Fermi Space Telescope and High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) . The researchers said the area could focus on some of the fastest particles in the galaxy.

High-energy cosmic rays are attracted to and emit gamma rays in the center of the Milky Way - (Photo: DM).

The main author, Danielle Gaggero, of the University of Amsterdam, said: 'The results show that most cosmic rays are forming the innermost region of our galaxy , especially the most energetic kind. created in areas of activity outside the galaxy center and then slowed down due to interactions with gas clouds. These interactions produce many gamma-ray emissions observed by Fermi and HESS ".

According to researchers, about 90% of cosmic rays are protons . The rest is made up of electrons and nuclei of atoms. As they move through space, the magnetic fields break the path, making it difficult to determine their origin.

However, the researchers say that the interaction between waves and cosmic matter can provide many clues. NASA believes that these interactions produce gamma-ray emission , the highest form of energy in light.

The observation of HESS Collaboration in 2016 showed that a luminous gamma ray reached nearly 50 trillion electron volts (TeV), about 50 times greater than the energy observed by Fermi's large Telescope.

HESS, an earth-based observatory, can detect emissions as soon as the atmosphere absorbs gamma rays, producing particles in blue light. Fermi, on the other hand, detects rays when they go to the telescope.

In this new study, the researchers combine the two types of observations, showing that gamma-ray spectra are constantly emitting radiation in the center of the galaxy.

Thanks to HESS and Fermi, scientists have observed and analyzed the activity of cosmic rays - (Photo: HESS).

Co-author Marco Taoso, working at the Institute of Theoretical Physics in Madrid and the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics in Turin, said: 'When we exclude the light sources, we have seen a good consensus among data. LAT and LESS data, this is surprising by different energy windows and observation techniques used ".

Co-author Alfredo Urbano of the European Nuclear Research Organization in Geneva and INFN Trieste, said: "The most powerful cosmic rays spend more time in the central region of the galaxy than before, so they make a stronger impression in gamma rays'.

Antonio Marinelli of IFN Pisa added: "This particle-breaking collision also produces neutrinos - which are the fastest, lightest and least understood fundamental particles."

The team claims the finding could help explain many of the phenomena that have been seen in other projects. Regina Caputo, a Fermi member of NASA's Goddarg Space Center, who was not involved in the study, said: "The experiments in Antarctica leak high energy neutrinos from outside our solar system. But determining their source is much more difficult. The findings from Fermi and HESS show that the galactic center can be a strong source of neutrinos in the near future, and that is very interesting. '