UTAH, UNITED STATES: According to a recent study published in Science Magazine, scientists in Utah detected Amaterasu, a cosmic ray named after the sun goddess in Japanese mythology, by a telescope system in 2021 and dubbed it "unprecedented" in modern times, the Daily Mail reported.
Astronomers reportedly believe that it is one of the most powerful cosmic rays ever observed and that the ray allegedly beamed at Earth from a mysterious part of deep space.
Scientists are also of the opinion that Amaterasu may have originated from an invisible corridor, or "void... in the universe."
As per the Daily Mail, the cosmic phenomenon carried the energy of 240 quintillion electron volts. A typical lightning bolt is about 300 million volts.
Cosmic rays are usually clusters of tiny, high-energy particles that move through space nearly at the speed of light and are often detected by instruments on Earth.
These rays are commonly the result of solar flares or explosions on the sun.
However, scientists are of the opinion that Amaterasu could only have originated from the most powerful of celestial events, which are possibly much bigger than a star explosion.
What did experts say about Amaterasu?
With an energy of 240 quintillion electron volts (EeV), the Amaterasu particle has an energy second only to the Oh-My-God particle, another ultra-high-energy cosmic ray which was detected in 1991 and had 320 EeV of energy.
As per the Daily Mail, when ultra-high-energy cosmic rays hit the atmosphere of the Earth, they result in an extensive air shower from a cascade of secondary particles and electromagnetic radiation.
Some charged particles in the air shower even travel faster than the speed of light and create a form of electromagnetic radiation that can be detected by specialized instruments.
One such similar instrument present at the Telescope Array observatory in Utah, US, reportedly found the Amaterasu particle. Scientists believe that the mysterious phenomenon emerged from the Local Void, an empty area of space that borders the Milky Way galaxy.
Experts suggest that the event can indicate a much larger magnetic deflection than predicted, from either an unidentified source in the Local Void or an incomplete understanding of high-energy particle physics.
Professor Toshihiro Fujii of Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan, who observed the phenomenon captured by the Telescope Array experiment in Utah, said, "When I first discovered this ultra-high-energy cosmic ray, I thought there must have been a mistake, as it showed an energy level unprecedented in the last three decades."
"No promising astronomical object matching the direction from which the cosmic ray arrived has been identified, suggesting possibilities of unknown astronomical phenomena and novel physical origins beyond the Standard Model," he added.
John Matthews, a research professor at University of Utah's department of physics and astronomy in the US, mentioned, "Things that people think of as energetic, like supernova, are nowhere near energetic enough for this."
"You need huge amounts of energy, really high magnetic fields to confine the particle while it gets accelerated," he explained.
"The particles are so high energy, they shouldn't be affected by galactic and extra-galactic magnetic fields," Professor Matthews shared.
"You should be able to point to where they come from in the sky," he noted, adding, "But in the case of the Oh-My-God particle and this new particle, you trace its trajectory to its source and there's nothing high energy enough to have produced it."
"That's the mystery of this – what the heck is going on?" Professor Matthews asked.
John Belz, a professor at University of Utah's department of physics and astronomy, shared, "These events seem like they're coming from completely different places in the sky."
"It's not like there's one mysterious source," he continued. "It could be defects in the structure of spacetime, colliding cosmic strings," Professor Belz opined.
"I mean, I'm just spit-balling crazy ideas that people are coming up with because there's not a conventional explanation," he said.
The experts reportedly hope that the Amaterasu particle will open the roads for further investigations that could help shed light on ultra high-energy cosmic rays and their place of origin.
Internet has a field day over study on Amaterasu
As the study surrounding the mystery of Amaterasu surfaced online, several social media users responded to the phenomenon with hilarious comments.
"Thor has entered the chat," one joked. "Skinwalker Ranch! What did you do?!" another asked.
"Great Utah has pissed off the aliens," one remarked. "Utah pissed off the Empire?" a fourth questioned.
One joked, "It was me talking to some friends I have out there. Help is on the way."
Another said, "So that was that thump I heard."
