Amaterasu particle and its yet mysterious origin

The grand shrine of Ise in Honshu, Japan, was likely first constructed about 2400 years ago. It is home to Amaterasu, the sun goddess. The shrine is at the heart of Japanese culture. That was until recently. Amaterasu is now also a rare and extremely high-energy particle which fell to Earth on May 27, 2021. The discovery of Amaterasu is utterly mystifying for particle physicists and astronomers because they cannot yet tell where it originated except that it may have come from an empty part of the universe. It is most likely extragalactic in its origin, meaning outside of our home galaxy, the Milky Way. There are those who think that Amaterasu has the potential to fundamentally alter physics. To understand the particle, Mayank Chhaya Reports spoke to Professor John Mathews of the University of Utah and a co-author of a paper just published in the journal Science about the particle.