Amaterasu, the Goddess of the Sun, is revered as the supreme deity in Japanese mythology.
Now, let's shift gears from divine tales to cosmic wonders. The Amaterasu particle, named after this illustrious goddess, is a newly identified ultra-high-energy cosmic ray. Detected in 2021 and further analyzed recently, this particle has captivated the attention of scientists at the Telescope Array Project observatory in Utah, United States. It boasts an astonishing energy level, exceeding 244 exa-electron volts (EeV).
But wait, what exactly is an EeV? To put it in perspective, 1 exa-electron volt is equivalent to 1 billion gigaelectron-volts, and a single gigaelectron volt equals 1 billion electron volts. This translates to the Amaterasu particle carrying an energy charge of 244 quintillion (244,000,000,000,000,000,000)electron volts! Oh my God? Not quite yet!
Let's not let these numbers overshadow the reigning champion, though. The Oh-My-God particle still claims the top spot, with an energy of 320 EeV. This extremely high-energy cosmic ray was captured on the night of October 15, 1991, by the Fly's Eye Cosmic Ray Detector at the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. Scientists poured over the data, retracing the steps that led to the detection of this mind-boggling particle. The findings were not just surprising—they were once considered to be beyond the realm of possibility. Hence, the Oh-My-God particle earned its exclamation-worthy title.
I wonder, if we find a particle more powerful than the Oh-My-God particle, what are we going to name it?
Note: An electron volt is a unit of energy, distinct from a volt, which is a unit used to measure the strength of an electrical current.320,000,000,000,000,000,000 electron volts is a big number, significant amount in particle physics, but it's still a very small amount of energy by everyday standards.
