A computer program created by a global research team can simulate the movement of cosmic rays through space. The goal is to help researchers solve the mystery of the origins of cosmic rays. The source of the high-energy radiation bombarding Earth from space is currently unknown.
Theoretical models are required to understand experimental results; the new computer simulation can provide this. The software is described by a group of RUB scientists in the online edition of the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physicswhich was released on September 12thth2022.
Like an evenly lit sky during the day
Cosmic rays have been studied since their discovery 100 years ago, and scientists are trying to figure out where they come from.
The problem is that when viewed from Earth, they appear to be just as brightly lit – practically everywhere the researchers look – as the sky is during the day.
This is because sunlight is spread evenly across the sky due to atmospheric scattering. Cosmic magnetic fields interact with cosmic rays to scatter them on their way to Earth. From Earth, the researchers can only see a uniformly illuminated image – the source of the radiation is unknown.
Particle trajectories simulated from production to detection
Our CRPropa program enables us to track the trajectories of particles from their formation to their arrival on Earth – and this for all energies that we can observe from Earth. We can also fully explain the interaction of the particles with matter and photon fields in the universe.
Julien Dorner, Ph.D. Student, Ruhr University Bochum
The application can simulate the generation of neutrinos and gamma rays in cosmic ray interactions and cosmic ray transmission.
“Unlike cosmic rays, these messenger particles can be observed directly from their sources when they come straight to Earth. We can also use the software to predict such signatures of neutrinos and gamma rays from distant galaxies like starbursts or active galaxies“, explains Dr. Patrick Reichherzer, postdoc at the RUB.
The simulation program shown today offers the most extensive software and opens up new perspectives in the cosmos.
“In the simulation, we can explore new energy ranges that could not be recorded in such detail with the previously available programs. Most importantly, we can develop a theoretical model describing the transition of cosmic rays from our galaxy to a fraction of distant galaxies and compare it to observations“, says Professor Karl-Heinz Kampert from the University of Wuppertal.
Theoretical calculations essential for interpreting experimental data
A multinational team of 17 scientists from Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Croatia, England and Austria worked together to create the simulation program. The RUB is a leading cooperation partner of the project and has eight researchers.
The project was managed as part of the Collaborative Research Center (SFB) 1491 “The Interplay of Cosmic Matter” funded by the German Research Foundation.
The publication is an important step towards a quantitative description of the transport and interaction of cosmic rays in three dimensions. CRPropa will make a significant contribution to understanding where cosmic rays come from. Finally, we need theoretical calculations to interpret the variety of data we receive from the various instruments that monitor the cosmos.
Julia Tjus, professor, SFB spokeswoman
Magazine reference:
Batista, RA, et al. (2022) CRPropa 3.2 – an advanced framework for the propagation of high-energy particles in extragalactic and galactic spaces. Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics. doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2022/09/035.
Source: https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/de
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