Mystery behind the origin of X-rays revealed!

a. Solar Wind

b. Local Hot Bubble

c. Both of the above

d. Neither of the above

 

NASA funded sounding rocket has been used to study the origins of X-rays in the universe. It has also helped scientists to reveal a new mystery- the origins of an entire group of X-rays that don’t come from a source that is known.

• Some of this invisible light that fills space takes the form of X-rays, the source of which has been widely contended over the past few decades
• DXL or Diffuse X-ray Emission from the Local Galaxy sounding rocket was launched from White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in 2012 to study the source of certain X-rays observed near the earth
• In a recent study, DXL’s data confirms ideas about where the X-rays come from, strengthening the understanding of the early history of the solar neighbourhood.
• The two known sources of X-ray emission are the solar wind and the Local Hot Bubble.
• The latter is a theorised area of hot interstellar material surrounding the solar system.
• X-ray contribution from the solar wind change exchange is about 40 percent in the galactic plan and even less elsewhere
• Rest of the X-rays from the Local Hot Bubble have now been traced.
• DXL however measured high-energy X-rays could not possibly have come from solar wind or Local Hot Bubble
• At higher energies, the sources contribute less than a quarter of the X-ray emission so there’s an unknown source of X-rays in this energy range
• Scientists haves said that around 10 million years ago, the supernova exploded and ionised the gas of the Local Hot Bubble
• One supernova is not enough to create such a massive cavity and each temperatures so high, so it was probably two or three supernovae
• Identifying the X-ray contribution of the Local Hot Bubble creates a deeper understanding of the structure surrounding the solar system
• This helps to build better models of the interstellar material in the solar neighbourhood

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