Physicists zoom into the birth of cosmic rainstorms with new CERN study

Physicists at CERN have conducted an experiment to study the birth of cosmic rainstorms using oxygen atoms and protons. The study, published in Physical Review Letters, recreated cosmic rainstorms in the lab by colliding oxygen atoms with protons. The experiment used the Large Hadron Collider, the world's most powerful particle accelerator, to simulate cosmic rays. The results showed that collisions between protons and oxygen atoms created a spray of particles, similar to the cosmic rainstorms observed in the sky. The study measured the properties of these particles with unprecedented precision, providing insights into how cosmic rays form.

The experiment involved a proton beam acting as the cosmic ray and an oxygen beam acting as Earth's atmosphere. The collisions produced a spray of particles that recreated the first moments of a cosmic rainstorm. The ATLAS experiment, a large particle detector at CERN, captured images of these collisions. The study measured how many particles the collisions created and the energies at which they flew out from the collisions. The results helped determine the composition of high-energy cosmic rays, revealing that they are mostly composed of hydrogen. Understanding the composition of cosmic rays could provide clues about their origins.

The study renews the links between particle physics and high-energy astrophysics, as both fields share a history but remain separate. The results will improve scientists' knowledge of cosmic rainstorms and help unravel the most extreme events in the universe. The experiment was conducted by a team of physicists, including Gaby Clark, and the results were published in the journal Physical Review Letters. The study is part of a broader effort to understand cosmic rays and their role in various scientific fields, such as archaeology and geology.

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