[Alan McDougall (OP)]

Where do ultrahigh-energy particles come from?

The most energetic particles that strike us from space, which include neutrinos as well as gamma-ray photons and various other bits of subatomic shrapnel, are called cosmic rays. They bombard Earth all the time; a few are zipping through you as you read this article. Cosmic rays are sometimes so energetic, they must be born in cosmic accelerators fueled by cataclysms of staggering proportions. Scientists suspect some sources: the Big Bang itself, shock waves from supernovas collapsing into black holes, and matter accelerated as it is sucked into massive black holes at the centers of galaxies.

Knowing where these particles originate and how they attain such colossal energies will help us understand how these violent objects operate.

Could colliding quasars be a candidate?


Alan