Dampe telescope reveals universal pattern in cosmic rays

May 14, 2026

Reported by AI

Researchers using the DAMPE space telescope have identified a shared spectral softening in cosmic rays across multiple particle types. The pattern appears at a rigidity of about 15 teraelectron-volts for protons through iron nuclei. This finding, published in Nature, offers new insight into how these high-energy particles behave in the galaxy.

For more than a century, scientists have studied cosmic rays, the most energetic particles known in nature. Data from the DAMPE mission, launched in December 2015, now show that the number of these particles drops sharply beyond a common rigidity threshold. The effect holds for protons, helium, carbon, oxygen, and iron nuclei alike.

New model proposes dark matter made of two particles to explain Milky Way gamma-ray excess

Building on prior detections of gamma-ray emissions from the Milky Way's center, physicists led by Gordan Krnjaic at Fermilab propose dark matter consists of two distinct particles that interact to produce detectable signals. This resolves the puzzle of signals in the Milky Way but none in dark-matter-rich dwarf galaxies, as observed by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.

Physicists link extreme neutrino to exploding primordial black hole

April 08, 2026 Reported by AI

Physicists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst propose that a record-breaking neutrino detected in 2023 originated from the explosion of a primordial black hole carrying a 'dark charge.' The particle's energy, 100,000 times greater than that produced by the Large Hadron Collider, puzzled scientists since only the KM3NeT experiment recorded it. Their model, published in Physical Review Letters, could also hint at the nature of dark matter.

Science

Gravitational waves may have created early universe dark matter

Science

Scientists capture metal turning into star-like plasma in trillionths of a second

Science

Researchers reduce uncertainty in cosmic birefringence measurements

Astronomers solve gamma-Cas X-ray mystery after 50 years

Astronomers have identified the source of unusual X-rays from the bright star gamma-Cas as a hidden white dwarf companion siphoning material from it. High-resolution data from the XRISM space mission confirmed that the emissions arise from matter heating up as it falls onto the unseen star. The discovery ends a puzzle that has intrigued scientists since the 1970s.

Scientists unveil camera capturing trillionth-of-a-second events

April 21, 2026 Reported by AI

Researchers at East China Normal University have developed a new imaging technique that captures ultrafast events in trillionths of a second, revealing both brightness and structural changes in a single shot. The method, called compressed spectral-temporal coherent modulation femtosecond imaging (CST-CMFI), tracks phenomena like plasma formation and electron movement. Yunhua Yao, the team leader, described it as a major advance for physics, chemistry, and materials science.

May 14, 2026 14:22