The Sun: The Ultimate Particle Collider?

1 min read
Source: Universe Today
The Sun: The Ultimate Particle Collider?
Photo: Universe Today
TL;DR Summary

Astronomers have observed extremely high-energy particles coming out of the Sun even when it is relatively calm. The mystery has been solved by a team of theoretical astrophysicists who found that the chromosphere, the layer just below the photosphere, can have enough energy to accelerate cosmic rays to incredibly high energies. These particles then spit back out of the Sun and generate a flash of gamma ray radiation when they slam into a random proton near the surface of the Sun. This shows that the Sun is capable of accelerating particles to very high energies efficiently, even when there is nothing chaotic happening on the surface.

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