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Scientists at China's Lhaaso observatory have detected the strongest light sources of cosmic rays ever recorded from a constellation in the Milky Way, a find that could overturn humanity's understanding of the galaxy. Photo: Xinhua
Opinion
Editorial
by SCMP Editorial
Editorial
by SCMP Editorial

Light years ahead in China’s study of cosmic rays

  • China is leading international efforts in basic research on astronomy that may help redefine our understanding of physics

Mao Zedong may have thought science must be practical, but mainland Chinese scientists have long studied cosmic rays dating back to the early 1950s. Now, this fundamental field in modern astronomy is bearing fruit.

Researchers at the Lhaaso observatory on the Tibetan Plateau have detected the strongest light sources of cosmic rays ever recorded from a constellation in the Milky Way. In so many different ways, basic research is proving to be as important as practical scientific applications; the two simply cannot be divorced.

The new findings, published in the journal Nature, may help resolve a century-old mystery – the origin of cosmic rays. Already, scientists have to rethink the mechanisms of high-energy cosmic ray acceleration and propagation in the Milky Way, and have to test extreme astrophysical phenomena and their corresponding processes that may challenge the fundamental laws of physics under extreme conditions.

An international team led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences has reason to be proud of its efforts. Full construction of the Lhaaso facility is not expected to be completed until later this year, but it has already scored a major scientific triumph.

Lhaaso continues China’s ongoing investigation of high-energy cosmic rays. Scientist Chang Jin is shown introducing the Dark Matter Particle Explorer satellite at the Purple Mountain Observatory in Nanjing in 2017. Photo: Xinhua

When fully built, it will have one of the world’s most powerful detectors for high-energy cosmic rays to help study related physics such as the evolution of the universe, the motion and interaction of high-energy astronomical phenomena, as well as the nature of dark matter. It will extensively survey the universe, but especially the Milky Way, for gamma ray sources.

Lhaaso is China’s latest and most advanced high-altitude cosmic ray observatory ever built. High-altitude observations exploit the use of the dense Earth atmosphere as a medium for detection.

As early as 1954, China constructed its first cosmic ray laboratory on Mount Luoxue in Dongchuan, Yunnan province, at 3,180 metres (two miles) above sea level. As China opened up, this field of astronomy invited many international collaborations as with Japan in 1989 and Italy in 2006.

The Lhaaso facility is continuing this long-standing spirit of international scientific cooperation.

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