China's cosmic ray observatory uncovers mystery of cosmic 'knee'

Scientists operating China's Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) have made significant progress in understanding the cosmic 'knee,' a sharp change in the energy spectrum of cosmic rays. This phenomenon, observed decades ago, marks a transition where the rate of high-energy particles detected from space begins to decrease. The LHAASO facility, located in Tibet, has provided unprecedented data, identifying an excess of gamma rays originating from specific pulsars. These findings suggest that these pulsars may be accelerating particles to energies that contribute to the cosmic 'knee' feature.

This discovery could refine our understanding of the most energetic phenomena in the universe and the sources responsible for accelerating particles to extreme energies.