A recent study reveals new insights into the origins of high-energy cosmic-ray electrons, suggesting a nearby pulsar as their source. Conducted by the H.E.S.S collaboration, along with researchers from the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, the findings were published in Physical Review Letters.
Using a decade's worth of data from H.E.S.S. telescopes in Namibia, scientists applied advanced algorithms to distinguish high-energy cosmic-ray electrons (CRe) from background noise. This analysis yielded unprecedented statistical data, allowing the detection of CRe energies up to 40 teraelectronvolts (TeV).
The study identified a pulsar located a few thousand light-years from Earth as the primary source of these intense emissions. Unlike gamma rays, which are easier to trace, charged particles like cosmic rays are influenced by magnetic fields, complicating their detection.
Researchers concluded that the measured electrons likely originate from a limited number of sources near the Solar System, significantly closer than previously thought. Werner Hofmann, a leading scientist in the study, noted that this measurement not only fills a crucial energy range but may also set a benchmark for future research.
These findings indicate that powerful cosmic-ray particle accelerators may exist much closer to Earth than previously understood.