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Chasing Cosmic Rays
Nine scientists from the LSU Department of Physics & Astronomy spent
three months in Antarctica, trying to detect cosmic rays by sending a
specially designed instrument 120,000 feet into the air using a giant
helium balloon. Cosmic rays, which travel through space at nearly the
speed of light, have energies much higher than anything made on earth.
The goal of the ATIC research team (short for Advanced Thin Ionization
Calorimeter) is to discover how cosmic rays can hold so much energy. This
discovery could help lead to the next level of atom-smashing accelerator
technology and explain how the galaxy evolved. The LSU researchers, led
by Professor John Wefel, spent five years building the 2,800-pound detector.
In December 2000 they launched the detector in Antarctica with a helium
balloon the size of Tiger Stadium. The research team is analyzing the
results of the experiment and preparing for a second launch in December
2002.
Last updated January 2002
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