China’s LHAASO maps cosmic ray source three times sun’s size

China’s Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) has identified Cygnus X-3 as the most powerful particle accelerator observed to date, exceeding previous theoretical limits for galactic cosmic-ray energies. Researchers confirmed that this binary system accelerates particles to at least 30 PeV, far beyond the approximately 1 PeV previously thought possible within the Milky Way. LHAASO also constrained the acceleration region to just three times the solar radius, revealing a surprisingly compact source for such energetic emissions. LHAASO Confirms Cygnus X-3 Accelerates Particles to 30 PeV LHAASO’s recent observations reveal Cygnus X-3 accelerates particles to 30 PeV, exceeding previous expectations for galactic cosmic-ray sources. Mainstream theories previously limited the maximum energy of particles within the Milky Way to approximately 1 PeV. The binary system, comprised of a compact object and a massive companion star, achieves this acceleration as it draws material from the companion’s stellar wind, a process now understood to be more potent than previously modeled. This finding, originating from the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), fundamentally alters the understanding of particle acceleration mechanisms in extreme astronomical environments. Detailed analysis of gamma-ray emissions allowed researchers to not only confirm the 30 PeV energy level, but also to identify a distinct 4.8-hour periodicity within the ultra-high-energy signal. Cao Zhen, principal investigator of LHAASO and an academician of CAS, detailed the methodology behind the discovery, stating, “Through detailed analysis of the time variability and spectral characteristics of ultra-high-energy gamma rays, LHAASO has confirmed that Cygnus X-3 can accelerate cosmic-ray particles to energies of at least 30 PeV.” The implications of this discovery extend beyond Cygnus X-3 itself; researchers believe it unlocks new avenues for studying extreme physics around black holes and neutron stars. The remarkably small acceleration zone suggests that magnetic reconnection or other highly efficient processes are at play, demanding a reevaluation of current astrophysical models. Scientists suggest these findings, recently published in National Science Review, will drive further investigation into the behavior of matter under the most intense gravitational and electromagnetic forces in the universe, potentially revealing new insights into the origins of cosmic rays and the fundamental laws governing the cosmos. Source: https://english.cas.cn/newsroom/cas-in-media/202608/t20260803_1186862.shtml Stay currentSee today’s quantum computing news on Quantum Zeitgeist for the latest breakthroughs in qubits, hardware, algorithms, and industry deals. Tags: Ivy Delaney Ivy Delaney has been working with neural networks and machine learning since the mid-nineties, back when a couple of hidden layers and a long afternoon of training counted as ambitious. She has watched the field go from academic curiosity to the thing quietly running underneath everything, and she brings that long view to quantum computing.

For Quantum Zeitgeist she covers the ground where the two fields meet. That means quantum machine learning and the variational algorithms it leans on, and it also means the less glamorous but more interesting story of classical machine learning already doing real work inside quantum machines, decoding error-correcting codes, calibrating noisy hardware and learning the error models that simulators depend on. She writes about the hardware those algorithms have to run on too, and about the post-quantum cryptography scramble that the same hardware has set off. Her stories typically start with the paper, whether that is peer-reviewed work, conference proceedings or an arXiv preprint, with the source linked so you can hold a claim up against the research it came from. She is unimpressed by benchmarks that will not say what they beat, and by demonstrations that only work in the press release. Latest Posts by Ivy Delaney: 1-bit quantum filter cuts complexity of particle tracking August 5, 2026 Berkeley Lab observes a quantum fluid in an atomically thin chip August 5, 2026 Projection Monte Carlo Estimates Quantum Spin Glass Gaps August 4, 2026