Positron Excess

03 May Positron Excess

(GS PAPER-3, Science and Technology- Developments and their Applications and Effects in Everyday Life

Source- Science monitor)

 Context

 Study has shown that Cosmic Rays propagating Through The Milky Way interact with matter producing excess positron.

 key points-

• High energy particles are generally lower in the number in the cosmic universe but it is seen that there has been an accessed number of high-energy particles of the antimatter counterpart of the electrons called positrons.
• over the years astronomers have observed an excess of positron having an energy of more than 10 giga electron volts or 10 GeV
• positron with energy more than 300 GeV however are lower in comparison to what astronomers expect
• this behaviour of positron between 10 and 300 GeV is what astronomers called the positron excess
• researchers from the Raman Research Institute Bengaluru and autonomous Institute of the Department of Science and Technology have resolved this mystery
• Cosmic Rays while propagating Through The Milky Way galaxy interact with matter producing other Cosmic Rays primarily electrons and positron

 Role of Milky Way galaxy-

•  The Milky Way consists of giant clouds of molecular hydrogen,  they are the seeds of the formation of new stars and can be a message as 10 million times the sun’s mass 
• they can extend up to 600 light years the distance that would take light 600 years to travel
•  Cosmic Rays produced in supernova explosion propagate through these clouds before they reach the earth
•  Cosmic Rays interact with molecular hydrogen and can give rise to another cosmic wave
•  as they propagate  through these clouds their decay from their original forms and intermix lose their energy by energising  the clouds and may also get re-energised

-Khyati Khare