Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Music: New Philosopher by Laurent Dury; Universal Production Music
Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel
Complete transcript available.",
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"description": "A study using 12 years of data from NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope confirms that one supernova remnant is producing some of the highest-energy protons in our galaxy.
Theorists say the highest-energy cosmic ray protons in the Milky Way reach a million billion electron volts, or petaelectronvolt (PeV) energies. But the precise nature of their sources, which astronomers call PeVatrons, has been difficult to pin down.
Fermi has shown that the shock waves of exploded stars boost particles to speeds comparable to that of light. Called cosmic rays, these particles mostly take the form of protons, but can include atomic nuclei and electrons. Because they all carry an electric charge, their paths become scrambled as they whisk through our galaxy’s magnetic field, which masks their origins. But when these particles collide with interstellar gas near the supernova remnant, they produce a tell-tale glow in gamma rays — the highest-energy light there is.
Out of about 300 known supernova remnants, only a few have been found to emit gamma rays at energies high enough to potentially be PeVatrons. One is G106.3+2.7, a comet-shaped cloud located about 2,600 light-years away in the constellation Cepheus. A bright pulsar caps the northern end of the supernova remnant, and astronomers think both objects formed in the same explosion.
Fermi and ground-based gamma-ray observatories have detected billion- (GeV) and trillion-electron-volt (TeV) gamma rays in the tail of the remnant, away from the pulsar. By combining 12 years of Fermi observations, astronomers were able to confirm that the highest-energy gamma rays coming from the remnant must be the result of protons boosted to PeV energies — meaning that G106.3+2.7 is a PeVatron.",
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"description": "Observations from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (magenta and pink) confirm that a supernova remnant called G106.3+2.7 is responsible for accelerating some of the highest-energy protons in our galaxy. In this multiwavelength view, radio emission from the remnant is blue and green, while yellow, orange, and red reveal radio waves from a vast cloud of interstellar gas. At center, the pink region shows where protons boosted by the supernova's shock wave strike the gas, emitting a tell-tale glow of gamma rays. Twelve years of Fermi data were crucial in identifying the particles as protons.
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Credit: Jayanne English (University of Manitoba) and Canadian Galactic Plane Survey/DRAO", "items": [ { "id": 211288, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 370720, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014100/a014170/1-SNRradioContinuumG106.jpg", "filename": "1-SNRradioContinuumG106.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Radio observations at 408 and 1,420 megahertz, shown in blue and green, reveal the diffuse glow of supernova remnant G106.3+2.7. Pulsar J2229+6114 is located below the bluish semicircle at the top left of the remnant. This structure, called the Boomerang pulsar wind nebula, is formed by energetic particles and their associated magnetic fields flowing away from the pulsar. Credit: Jayanne English (University of Manitoba) and Canadian Galactic Plane Survey/DRAO", "width": 2246, "height": 1733, "pixels": 3892318 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 314203, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14170/#media_group_314203", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Astronomers can tease out new sources by comparing their observations with what would be expected based on a model of the region's gamma-ray background that accounts for all known emission. Above 10 billion electron volts, where the pulsar's signal produces much less interference, a patch of excess gamma-ray emission, here shown in pink, appears in the tail of the supernova remnant. This emission is created when protons accelerated in the supernova's shock wave strike a nearby gas cloud. To produce the 100 trillion-electron-volt gamma rays detected by ground-based observatories, these protons must reach energies 10 times greater, making this source a PeVatron.
Credit: Jayanne English (University of Manitoba) and NASA/Fermi/Fang et al. 2022", "items": [ { "id": 211290, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 370722, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014100/a014170/5GR_print.jpg", "filename": "5GR_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Astronomers can tease out new sources by comparing their observations with what would be expected based on a model of the region's gamma-ray background that accounts for all known emission. Above 10 billion electron volts, where the pulsar's signal produces much less interference, a patch of excess gamma-ray emission, here shown in pink, appears in the tail of the supernova remnant. This emission is created when protons accelerated in the supernova's shock wave strike a nearby gas cloud. To produce the 100 trillion-electron-volt gamma rays detected by ground-based observatories, these protons must reach energies 10 times greater, making this source a PeVatron.Credit: Jayanne English (University of Manitoba) and NASA/Fermi/Fang et al. 2022", "width": 1024, "height": 790, "pixels": 808960 } }, { "id": 211289, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 370721, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014100/a014170/5GR.tif", "filename": "5GR.tif", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Astronomers can tease out new sources by comparing their observations with what would be expected based on a model of the region's gamma-ray background that accounts for all known emission. Above 10 billion electron volts, where the pulsar's signal produces much less interference, a patch of excess gamma-ray emission, here shown in pink, appears in the tail of the supernova remnant. This emission is created when protons accelerated in the supernova's shock wave strike a nearby gas cloud. To produce the 100 trillion-electron-volt gamma rays detected by ground-based observatories, these protons must reach energies 10 times greater, making this source a PeVatron.Credit: Jayanne English (University of Manitoba) and NASA/Fermi/Fang et al. 2022", "width": 2246, "height": 1733, "pixels": 3892318 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 314204, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14170/#media_group_314204", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Radio observations at 408 and 1,420 megahertz, shown in blue and green, and excess gamma rays above 10 billion electron volts, shown in pink, are merged in this image.
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Credit: Jayanne English (University of Manitoba) and Canadian Galactic Plane Survey/FCRAO", "items": [ { "id": 397332, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 370724, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014100/a014170/10-COG106_print.jpg", "filename": "10-COG106_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Radio observations show a cool, dense gas cloud located near the supernova remnant. This image shows emission from carbon monoxide — an important molecule for tracing interstellar gas — in yellow, orange, and red based on differences in its motion, better revealing the cloud's structure. The emission has a rest frequency of 115.27 gigahertz, corresponding to a wavelength of 2.6 millimeters.Credit: Jayanne English (University of Manitoba) and Canadian Galactic Plane Survey/FCRAO", "width": 1024, "height": 790, "pixels": 808960 } }, { "id": 397331, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 370723, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014100/a014170/10-COG106.tif", "filename": "10-COG106.tif", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Radio observations show a cool, dense gas cloud located near the supernova remnant. This image shows emission from carbon monoxide — an important molecule for tracing interstellar gas — in yellow, orange, and red based on differences in its motion, better revealing the cloud's structure. The emission has a rest frequency of 115.27 gigahertz, corresponding to a wavelength of 2.6 millimeters.Credit: Jayanne English (University of Manitoba) and Canadian Galactic Plane Survey/FCRAO", "width": 2246, "height": 1733, "pixels": 3892318 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 314206, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14170/#media_group_314206", "widget": "Video player", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Confined by a supernova remnant's chaotic magnetic field, high-energy particles move around randomly. Sometimes they cross the shock wave, and with each round trip, they gain a fraction of their original energy. After dozens to hundreds of crossings, the particles are moving near the speed of light and are finally able to escape.
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Gamma rays — including those produced by cosmic rays interacting with interstellar matter — instead travel straight to us from their sources.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 397340, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 370732, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014100/a014170/CR-GR_Path_Through_Galaxy_H264_Best_1280x720_59.94.webm", "filename": "CR-GR_Path_Through_Galaxy_H264_Best_1280x720_59.94.webm", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Because cosmic ray protons, nuclei, and electrons carry electric charge, their direction changes as they wend their way through the galaxy's magnetic field. By the time the particles reach us, their paths can be completely scrambled, and astronomers cannot trace them back to their sources. Gamma rays — including those produced by cosmic rays interacting with interstellar matter — instead travel straight to us from their sources.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 314207, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14170/#media_group_314207", "widget": "Basic text", "title": "For More Information", "caption": "", "description": "See [https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2022/nasa-s-fermi-confirms-star-wreck-as-source-of-extreme-cosmic-particles](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2022/nasa-s-fermi-confirms-star-wreck-as-source-of-extreme-cosmic-particles)", "items": [], "extra_data": {} } ], "studio": "gms", "funding_sources": [ "PAO" ], "credits": [ { "role": "Producer", "people": [ { "name": "Sophia Roberts", "employer": "Advocates in Manpower Management, Inc." } ] }, { "role": "Science writer", "people": [ { "name": "Francis Reddy", "employer": "University of Maryland College Park" } ] }, { "role": "Scientist", "people": [ { "name": "Ke Fang", "employer": "University of Wisconsin-Madison" }, { "name": "Jayanne English", "employer": "University of Manitoba" }, { "name": "Henrike Fleischhack", "employer": "Catholic University of America" } ] }, { "role": "Technical support", "people": [ { "name": "Aaron E. Lepsch", "employer": "ADNET Systems, Inc." } ] } ], "missions": [ "Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope" ], "series": [ "Astrophysics Features", "Astrophysics Stills", "Narrated Movies" ], "tapes": [], "papers": [ "Evidence for PeV Proton Acceleration from Fermi-LAT Observations of SNR G106.3+2.7", "Evidence for PeV Proton Acceleration from Fermi-LAT Observations of SNR G106.3+2.7" ], "datasets": [], "nasa_science_categories": [ "Universe" ], "keywords": [ "Ast", "Astrophysics", "Gamma Ray", "HDTV", "Neutron Star", "Pulsar", "Radio Telescope", "Supernova", "Universe" ], "recommended_pages": [], "related": [ { "id": 12989, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12989/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Superstar Eta Carinae Shoots Cosmic Rays", "description": "Zoom into Eta Carinae, where the outflows of two massive stars collide and shoot accelerated particles cosmic rays into space.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Music: \"Expectant Aspect\" from Killer Tracks.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || Eta_Car_CR_Still.jpg (1920x1080) [307.1 KB] || Eta_Car_CR_Still_print.jpg (1024x576) [127.9 KB] || Eta_Car_CR_Still_searchweb.png (320x180) [98.2 KB] || Eta_Car_CR_Still_thm.png (80x40) [7.3 KB] || 12989_Eta_Car_CosmicRay_ProRes_1080.webm (1920x1080) [16.1 MB] || 12989_Eta_Car_CosmicRay_1080.m4v (1920x1080) [155.6 MB] || 12989_Eta_Car_CosmicRay_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [234.6 MB] || 12989_Eta_Car_CosmicRay_1080p.mov (1920x1080) [311.6 MB] || 12989_Eta_Car_CosmicRay_SRT_Captions.en_US.srt [2.0 KB] || 12989_Eta_Car_CosmicRay_SRT_Captions.en_US.vtt [2.0 KB] || 12989_Eta_Car_CosmicRay_ProRes_1080.mov (1920x1080) [2.1 GB] || ", "release_date": "2018-07-03T11:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T13:46:39.808921-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 402389, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a012900/a012989/Eta_Car_CR_Still.jpg", "filename": "Eta_Car_CR_Still.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Zoom into Eta Carinae, where the outflows of two massive stars collide and shoot accelerated particles cosmic rays into space.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Music: \"Expectant Aspect\" from Killer Tracks.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 11209, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11209/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Fermi Proves Supernova Remnants Produce Cosmic Rays", "description": "A new study using observations from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope reveals the first clear-cut evidence that the expanding debris of exploded stars produces some of the fastest-moving matter in the universe. This discovery is a major step toward meeting one of Fermi's primary mission goals.Cosmic rays are subatomic particles that move through space at nearly the speed of light. About 90 percent of them are protons, with the remainder consisting of electrons and atomic nuclei. In their journey across the galaxy, the electrically charged particles become deflected by magnetic fields. This scrambles their paths and makes it impossible to trace their origins directly.Through a variety of mechanisms, these speedy particles can lead to the emission of gamma rays, the most powerful form of light and a signal that travels to us directly from its sources.Two supernova remnants, known as IC 443 and W44, are expanding into cold, dense clouds of interstellar gas. This material emits gamma rays when struck by high-speed particles escaping the remnants.Scientists have been unable to ascertain which particle is responsible for this emission because cosmic-ray protons and electrons give rise to gamma rays with similar energies. Now, after analyzing four years of data, Fermi scientists see a gamma-ray feature from both remnants that, like a fingerprint, proves the culprits are protons.When cosmic-ray protons smash into normal protons, they produce a short-lived particle called a neutral pion. The pion quickly decays into a pair of gamma rays. This emission falls within a specific band of energies associated with the rest mass of the neutral pion, and it declines steeply toward lower energies. Detecting this low-end cutoff is clear proof that the gamma rays arise from decaying pions formed by protons accelerated within the supernova remnants.In 1949, the Fermi telescope's namesake, physicist Enrico Fermi, suggested that the highest-energy cosmic rays were accelerated in the magnetic fields of interstellar gas clouds. In the decades that followed, astronomers showed that supernova remnants were the galaxy's best candidate sites for this process.?A charged particle trapped in a supernova remnant's magnetic field moves randomly throughout it and occasionally crosses through the explosion's leading shock wave. Each round trip through the shock ramps up the particle's speed by about 1 percent. After many crossings, the particle obtains enough energy to break free and escapes into the galaxy as a newborn cosmic ray. The Fermi discovery builds on a strong hint of neutral pion decay in W44 observed by the Italian Space Agency's AGILE gamma-ray observatory and published in late 2011.Watch this video on YouTube. || ", "release_date": "2013-02-14T14:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T13:52:23.664601-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 468169, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011209/Cas_A_Still.jpg", "filename": "Cas_A_Still.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "The husks of exploded stars produce some of the fastest particles in the cosmos. New findings by NASA's Fermi show that two supernova remnants accelerate protons to near the speed of light. The protons interact with nearby interstellar gas clouds, which then emit gamma rays. Short narrated video.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } } ], "sources": [], "products": [], "newer_versions": [], "older_versions": [], "alternate_versions": [] }