The sun emits 5 times more energy than previously thought
By ForGeeks Scientists have discovered that the Sun is producing higher energy light than previously thought. An unusual type of telescope has detected gamma rays with energies of more than 1 teraelectronvolt (TeV), which is at least five times higher than previously known. The Sun emits light over a wide range of energies — from infrared to visible and ultraviolet. It has previously been suggested that the Sun can generate gamma rays — the highest energy electromagnetic radiation as a result of interactions with cosmic rays from distant sources, but they rarely reach Earth to be detected.
It has been suggested that the Sun can generate gamma rays — the highest energy electromagnetic radiation.
After several decades, these gamma rays were detected by NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope in 2011. Making more and more observations over the years, Fermi discovered that the Sun was producing seven times more gamma rays than had been predicted. Their energies were as high as 200 gigaelectronvolts (GeV), which is the upper limit that «Fermi» can capture.
They were also found to be as high as 200 gigaelectronvolts (GeV), which is the upper limit that Fermi» can capture.
So in the new study, the scientists used another instrument that is sensitive beyond that limit. It’s the High Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory (HAWC) in Mexico, and it works quite differently from a conventional telescope. It is a series of 300 large tanks filled with 200 tons of water each. When gamma rays hit molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere, they create a cascade of lower energy particles that can interact with the water molecules in these large tanks.
Sensitive instruments monitor these interactions, and scientists can back-calculate the energy of the original gamma rays. Using HAWC data collected between 2015 and 2021, the researchers found that the Sun produces gamma rays with energies much higher than those discovered by Fermi. They reach energies on the order of 5 TeV, with some reaching nearly 10 TeV. How exactly the Sun produces these beams remains a mystery, but further research will reveal how such high energies are achieved and what role the Sun’s magnetic field may play in this.
