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COSMIC RAYS:

Catch a Cosmic Ray Program. COSMIC RAYS:. Top Ten Questions about what you have learned. Even though they are called “rays”, cosmic rays are tiny particles traveling through the air You can’t see them, but a radiation detector like a Geiger counter or CRD picks them up.

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COSMIC RAYS:

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  1. Catch a Cosmic Ray Program COSMIC RAYS: Top Ten Questions about what you have learned

  2. Even though they are called “rays”, cosmic rays are tiny particles traveling through the air You can’t see them, but a radiation detector like a Geiger counter or CRD picks them up 1. Cosmic rays are: • What kind of radiation? Light or Particles

  3. It took a long time for people to realize that the “cosmic rays” were the same as the nuclei found in every atom. They are way too small to see, even with the most powerful microscope. 2. Cosmic rays are: • What kind of particles? Atomic Nuclei or Dust

  4. “Primary” cosmic rays are the interstellarnuclei coming from an extraterrestrial source (solar wind, supernova). • “Secondary” cosmic ray showers are caused when the primary knocks particlesin our atmosphere downward, which we can detect with CRDs at ground level. 3. Cosmic rays are: • Come in two kinds. Which do we see at ground level? Secondaries (particles from the atmosphere) Primaries (nuclei from space) or

  5. Because cosmic rays are nuclei, their protons can interact with other charged particles in matter, causing them to deflect or rebound. The more matter in the way, the fewer cosmic rays get through. 4. Cosmic rays are: • Can be partially blocked by matter (walls, air, people, etc.) True or False

  6. Victor Hess took his cosmic ray detector up to 5000 meters in a balloon, finding more rays at higher altitudes and thus proving that they are originally coming from space 5. Cosmic rays are • More common at higher altitudes because: They haven’t passed through as much atmosphere There is less gravity from Earth or

  7. Coming from straight overhead, cosmic rays are traveling through less atmosphere, which means they are absorbed/scattered less. 6. Cosmic rays are: • Mostly coming from what direction? Parallel to Earth surface Straight overhead or

  8. Trillions of low-energy cosmic rays are hitting earth right now, while only about 40 ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs, >1018 eV) have ever been detected 7. Cosmic rays: • Typically have how much energy? Low Energies High Energies or

  9. Detecting a cosmic ray is all about the size of your detector… you need to cover the largest area possible, especially to catch the rare UHECRs! Ground detectors are cheap and simple to build over large areas. 8. High-energy cosmic rays • Are easiest to detect with: Large ground detectors Small space detectors or

  10. While UHECRs may be produced by black holes, the vast majorityof cosmic rays are“low-energy” nuclei in the solar wind produced by stars. “Medium-energy” CRs are probably launched by exploding stars (supernovae). 9. Cosmic rays are: • Mostly produced by what likely source? or Black Holes Stars

  11. Trace back to the source they came from The galactic magnetic field causes CRs (which are charged nuclei) to turn, so when they reach Earth they’re coming from a different direction. But UHECRs travel straight, so they’re valuable because you can see where they’re from! 10. High-energy cosmic rays: • Can be used to: Measure the brightness of distant objects or

  12. Thank you for participating inthe Catch a Cosmic Ray program • Don’t forget to contact Zach Constan (constan@nscl.msu.edu) to give your evaluation of the experience. • Come back any time! A composite image showing cosmic ray distribution in the sky

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