Muon Telescope: The Universe's Secrets

[LKD_]

Ref: http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-05-cosmic-rays-southern-sky-physics.html

After finishing the article, I wondered, can't this principle be used to understand the universe better? Could we not make a muon telescope and learn some interesting things about emissions in space?

 

[Drakkith]

The just found out this information. Give them some time and I'm sure they will have some more instruments dedicated to this.

 

[zhermes]

Lots of telescopes look for and detect muons. Actually, every cosmic-ray telescope does (to my knowledge), generally via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherenkov_radiation" .

http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/how_l2/cerenkov.html"
http://veritas.sao.arizona.edu/"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milagro_%28experiment%29"
Etc.

 

[LKD_]

Interesting. Is there a valuable difference between x-rays or gamma rays and muons? Or is the information unhelpful?

 

[ibysaiyan]

As far as my minuscule knowledge goes muons are leptons essentially mesons like electrons with half integer spin ( particles) where as X-ray/Gamma rays are electro magnetic radiation i.e energy released in between electron shuffling or energy released in the decaying of neutral pions,particle-anti particle annihilation.Someone with more in depth knowledge (in particle physics) may correct me if I am mistaken.Perhaps it's their mean life which is puzzling us ,as underlined in the link you posted.Regards,
ibysaiyan