Observation of a large-scale anisotropy in the arrival directions of cosmic rays above 8x10^18 eV

THE PIERRE AUGER COLLABORATION (A. AAB, ..., A.D. SUPANITSKY, ...)

SCIENCE

AMER ASSOC ADVANCEMENT SCIENCE

Año: 2017 vol. 357 p. 1266 - 1270

0036-8075

Cosmic rays are atomic nuclei arriving from outer space that reach the highest energies observed in nature. Clues to their origin come from studying the distribution of their arrival directions. Using 3x10^4 cosmic rays with energies above 8x10^18 electron volts, recorded with the Pierre Auger Observatory from a total exposure of 76,800 km^2 sr year, we determined the existence of anisotropy in arrival directions. The anisotropy, detected at more than a 5.2sigma level of significance, can be described by a dipole with an amplitude of 6.5+1.3-0.9 percent toward right ascension alpha_d = 100 ± 10 degrees and declination delta_d = -24+12-13 degrees. That direction indicates an extragalactic origin for these ultrahigh-energy particles.