When young stars cluster together closely, interactions between the astronomical bodies can cause particles to be accelerated to such high velocities that gamma rays are produced. Vanessa Guthier wrote programs to perform a statistical analysis of the data in star cluster and gamma ray source catalogues. She succeeded in showing that the following conditions must be met for gamma rays to be created in a star cluster: The stars should be younger than ten million years, the clusters should number over 100 stars, and the radius should be between 8.5 and 15 parsec (a unit of astronomical distance). She also identified two new promising pairs of star clusters and gamma ray sources, which are likely to be associated. Her results may help us to better understand where cosmic rays come from.
Vanessa Guthier
19 years
| Stand | 76 |
| Project | Physics-04 |
| Country | Germany |
