Unveiling the Cosmic Ray Mystery: Insights from a New Plasma Instability
Scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam have discovered a new plasma instability through numerical simulations, shedding light on the nature of cosmic rays and their impact on galaxies. The researchers found that cosmic rays excite electromagnetic waves in the surrounding plasma, changing their paths. This phenomenon suggests that cosmic rays behave more like radiation than individual particles, supporting a collective electromagnetic wave. The discovery has implications for understanding the acceleration of electrons and the transport of cosmic rays in galaxies, providing insights into the processes that shape galaxies during cosmic evolution.