Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2025

Laboratory Drop Towers for the Experimental Simulation of Dust-aggregate Collisions in the Early Solar System
Published on: June 5, 2014
A very energetic Galactic particle accelerator
1Departament de Física Quàntica i Astrofísica, Institut de Ciències del Cosmos Universitat de Barcelona (ICCUB), Universitat de Barcelona (IEEC-UB), E08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
The most powerful plasma jets in our galaxy emit extremely high-energy gamma rays. These cosmic phenomena are key to understanding high-energy astrophysics.
Area of Science:
- Astrophysics
- High-energy physics
Background:
- Plasma jets are powerful outflows of ionized matter.
- The Milky Way galaxy hosts some of the most energetic astrophysical phenomena.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the emission properties of powerful plasma jets in the Milky Way.
- To determine the nature of very-high-energy gamma-ray production in these jets.
Main Methods:
- Observational astronomy using gamma-ray telescopes.
- Analysis of spectral and temporal characteristics of gamma-ray emission.
Main Results:
- Detection of very-high-energy gamma rays from powerful plasma jets.
- Correlation between jet activity and gamma-ray luminosity.
Conclusions:
- Powerful plasma jets are confirmed sources of very-high-energy gamma rays.
- These findings advance our understanding of extreme astrophysical processes and particle acceleration.
Related Concept Videos
Average Acceleration
Nuclear Transmutation
Momentum And Radiation Pressure
Detection of Black Holes
Their closest cousins are neutron stars, which are composed almost entirely of neutrons packed against each other, making them extremely dense. A neutron star has the same mass as the Sun but its diameter is only a few kilometers. Therefore, the escape velocity from their surface is close to the speed of light.
Not until the 1960s, when the first neutron...
Mass Analyzers: Common Types
Motion Of A Charged Particle In A Magnetic Field

