18.03.2016

An accelerator of cosmic rays with unprecedented energies at the centre of the Milky Way

Team of scientists identifies the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* as most probable source

An international team of scientists including members of the University of Tübingen has for the first time identified a source of cosmic rays that accelerates these elementary particles to petaelectron energies. This source of cosmic rays is therefore a hundred times more energetic – in terms of particle energies – than the biggest man-made particle accelerator, the LHC at CERN. It seems that the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way serves as accelerator. The analysis was published on 16th March 2016 in the scientific journal Nature.

Press release of the university: <link https: www.uni-tuebingen.de en newsfullview-landingpage article beschleuniger-kosmischer-strahlung-mit-beispielloser-energie-im-zentrum-der-milchstrasse.html external-link-new-window externen link in neuem>www.uni-tuebingen.de/en/newsfullview-landingpage/article/beschleuniger-kosmischer-strahlung-mit-beispielloser-energie-im-zentrum-der-milchstrasse.html

International press release of the H.E.S.S. collaboration: <link http: www2.cnrs.fr en>www2.cnrs.fr/en/22.htm