On October 15, 1991, an exceptional cosmic event took place. On that day, scientists detected the "Oh-My-God" particle (OMG), a high-energy cosmic ray of paramount importance. The OMG was likely a proton with an extraordinarily high energy, surpassing all known subatomic particles by a wide margin.
The speed of the OMG particle was estimated to be 0.999 999 999 999 999 999 999 995 times the speed of light, making it the fastest massive particle ever recorded. This discovery occurred at 13 hours, 34 minutes, and 16 seconds, thanks to the HiRes cosmic ray detector located at the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, United States.
The OMG carried a phenomenal amount of energy, measured at 50 joules, which is several tens of millions of times more energy than subatomic particles accelerated in the Large Hadron Collider. Although other particles with considerable energies have been detected subsequently, including a 32-joule particle on December 3, 1993, and another carrying 23 joules on January 13, 2007, the record set by the OMG remains unmatched. However, statistically, it is possible that other high-energy cosmic rays arriving on Earth may exceed the energy of the OMG particle.
Scientists have put forth several hypotheses to explain the existence of the OMG particle, as well as the cosmic rays exceeding 1 × 10^20 electronvolts (eV). Possible sources include black holes, especially those at the center of galaxies, galaxy collisions, and the shockwaves they generate, as well as magnetars. These sources are believed to act as particle accelerators, imparting tremendous energies to these particles.
Another theory considered is that the OMG particle was not accelerated but emitted. In this scenario, the emission mechanism could be linked to cosmic phenomena, such as the collapse of a topological defect like a cosmic string, or even the decay of a hypothetical supermassive particle called the "wimpzilla." However, it is important to note that despite these hypotheses, no definitive explanation has been demonstrated to date.
tonycuongphotos, Pixabay, https://pixabay.com/illustrations/god-zeus-deity-character-crown-7778212/
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