Ultra-high energy cosmic rays are now understood to be energized by magnetic turbulence rather than shock waves from stellar explosions. Research published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters reveals that tangled magnetic fields in extreme astrophysical environments, such as near black holes and neutron stars, play a crucial role in accelerating particles to extraordinary energy levels, surpassing those generated by the Sun and even the Large Hadron Collider. Cosmic rays can possess energy levels up to 10^20 electron volts, which is vastly greater—by a factor of ten billion—than the maximum energy of solar particles. Researchers, including Luca Comisso and Glennys R. Farrar, argue that the predictions of magnetic turbulence better explain the origin of these cosmic rays compared to the traditional shock acceleration theory. Their findings suggest that both solar and ultra-high energy cosmic rays are influenced by highly tangled magnetic fields, highlighting the importance of magnetic turbulence in particle acceleration. This breakthrough helps answer significant questions in astrophysics and particle physics regarding the sources of energy for these cosmic phenomena and offers a new perspective on the mechanisms driving their formation. The study was supported by the National Science Foundation.
