The Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE), an internationally-coordinated space mission launched in December 2015, has achieved a groundbreaking discovery regarding the energy spectra of cosmic ray nuclei. An international consortium, with significant contributions from the astrophysics group at the University of Geneva's Department of Nuclear and Particle Physics, has published findings in Nature demonstrating a universal spectral characteristic across primary cosmic ray species ranging from protons to iron nuclei.
The research reveals that spectral softening occurs consistently at approximately 15 teraelectron-volts rigidity across all measured nuclei. This empirical observation substantiates rigidity-dependent acceleration and transport models while simultaneously refuting nucleon-specific energy alternatives with a confidence level exceeding 99.999%. The Geneva team, employing advanced artificial intelligence techniques for event reconstruction and contributing pivotal measurements of proton, helium, and carbon fluxes, played a decisive role in this scientific breakthrough.