Cosmic Rays
Protons are the most abundant particles.
Which subatomic particles make up the majority of cosmic rays?
Both are leptons and have electric charge. Different: Muons are heavier and more unstable.
Similarities and differences between Muons and electrons?
It's a large neutrino detector located in Antarctica, consisting of a grid of sensors embedded in the ice.
What is the IceCube Neutrino Observatory?
They are detected using a scintillator and a SiPM.
How can muons be detected in the CosmicWatch?
The afterglow of the Big Bang, and its uniformity provides strong evidence for the Big Bang theory.
What is the cosmic microwave background?
Supernovae and active galactic nuclei.
Which celestial objects are believed to be the primary source of cosmic rays?
More penetrating than other particles in cosmic ray showers and can reach the Earth's surface.
What role do muons play in cosmic ray showers?
Examples include scintillation detectors, calorimeters, and cloud chambers.
What are some types of detectors used to measure cosmic particles?
single-photon-sensitive device, that is operated in Geiger mode to detect particles.
What is a SiPm(Silicon photomultiplier)?
Regions of spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape.
What are black holes?
A moving shockwave with magnetic inhomogeneties that accelerates a charged particle.
What is the First order Fermi Acceleration?
Around 2.2 microseconds.
What is the average lifetime of a muon?
A detection area of ca. 10,370 km^2
What is the detection area of the Pierre Auger observatory?
The rest of the cosmic shower is filtered out from the Hull.
Why are only Muons detected?
A form of matter that does not emit light or electromagnetic radiation. Its presence is inferred from its gravitational effects and is important for explaining the structure and behavior of galaxies.
What is dark matter?
Magnetized clouds that work like "magnetic mirrors" and accelerate charged particles when moving towards them and decelerate them when moving in the same direction.
What second order Fermi Acceleration?
An electron, neutrino, and an antineutrino
How do muons decay, and what do they decay into?
It creates a supersaturated vapor that condenses into visible droplets when a charged particle passes through, allowing its path to be seen.
What is the principle behind the operation of a cloud chamber?
The maximum is at ca. 420 nm.
Highly magnetized neutron stars that emit beams of radiation from their magnetic poles. As the star rotates, these beams sweep across our line of sight, creating the pulsing effect.
What are pulsars?
A theoretical energy threshold beyond which cosmic rays interact with the cosmic microwave background.
What is the "GZK limit" in cosmic ray physics?
They are the main source of Muons in secondary cosmic showers.
What is the role of charged pions in Cosmic showers?
The electromagnetic radiation emitted when charged particles travel through a medium faster than light.
What is Cherenkov radiation?
Approximately 100 per m^2 and second
how many muons are there on sealevel?
The bending of light by gravity, which can magnify and distort the image of a distant object, allowing us to observe objects that might otherwise be too faint to see.
What is gravitational lensing?