Evening star., 1933-02-01
SYMPOSIUM TELLS
OF COSM|C RAYS
Several Scientists Join in Ex.
pIanation of lust What
They Are
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, February THE most
complete picture yet given Of what COS
mic rays may be is issued bY several
scientists In the Phsical Review
journal OF experimental and theoretical
physics.
They may include the recently dis
covered ultimate particle" Of matter,
the neutron, under a new theory Of cos
mic rays announced by the noted Bel
gian astronomer, Able lie Maitre and
M s. Vallarta of Massachusetts, Insti-
tute Of Technology.
They may also. under this theory in
clude new rays" some form Of invsi-
BILE radiation not yet identified BY
science. The theory holds that wtils
some OF them are undoubtedly electrified
particles, as DR.. Arthur H. Compton
nolds, others can be "photons"; that Is,
hi8h-powered invisible forms of light,
as DR.. Robert A. Millikan believes.
They probably. under the theory, in
clude variety Of rays, such as electrons,
or positive electrical particles; also
alpha particles, which are the hearts
OF helium atoms, and neutrons, par
ticles having no electrical charges.
s1s.o00,ooo in Radium.
The new rays" are described as DOS
sibly possessing greater masses and
higher electrical charges than any of
the known forms of radiation.
The theory also shows that some
form OF "super-radio activity" may be
one Of the sources of cosmic rays. Or
olnary radio activity Is illustrated by
the Empire State Building in New York
City. This building has been estimated
10 contain IN its stonework about SIS.
O00 000 worth Of radium. II every par
tlcle OF that substance could be ex-
tracted. This is suficient to send out
into the air thin charges of the rays Of
radium.
But these radium charges about the
Empire State Building are no greater
than those punched about the rocks on
most OF the earth's surface. In all
/ cases they are insufficient to have anv
visible effect on man. Super-radio-ac.
| tivity would come from the earth's at
mosphere or from space.
HOW lar cosmlc rays can travel IL
considered mathematically by F.
zwicky OF the California Institute of
| Technology.
One possibility is that the cosmic
rays, II they are protons, are likely to
come from non-luminous matter in
space, dark bodies or collections of
SooCo oiiO OuSl WHICH are not VlS1Ele
ike the stars and the nebulae.
Might Be Going Backward.
Another possibility Is that II the
universe is expanding at the tremen-
oously rapid speed which great tee
scopes seem to indicate, there Is
limit in far-oh space beyond which no
light and no cosmic rays can come to
earth. This Is because in those remote
regions the bodies emitting either light
or cosmic rays would be travelling away
from earth with a speed greater than
that OF light. So possibly the rays
from them would have no Speed at all
in the direction Of earth, and might
even be going backward.
Still another mathematical possi-
bility Is that cosmic rays were emitted
long ago, and have been travelling in
vast circles in space. They keep going
Indefinitely in these circles until they
strike something, as whtn they enter
earth's atmosphere.
Another source Of cric in could be
either the earths atmosrhere or the
nearby solar system. Finally. they
might be emitted BY matter in states
Of extreme ratification unknown on
earth.