CONTROVERSY abounds over how to explain the highest-energy cosmic rays, subatomic particles that tear through space at near light speed while packing the punch of rifle bullets. Now a cosmic ray detector in Utah has further deepened the controversy with evidence that the particles may not be so powerful after all.
A new analysis of results from the High Resolution Fly’s Eye (HiRes) experiment in Salt Lake City has detected a sharp cut-off in the energy spectrum of cosmic rays. This stands in stark contrast to a Japanese experiment that has previously reported particles with bafflingly higher energies.
According to…
