# Hiroshima-led team identifies Milky Way source LHAASO J1912+1014u as proton PeVatron

_Saturday, August 1, 2026 at 10:59 PM EDT · Science · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![Hiroshima-led team identifies Milky Way source LHAASO J1912+1014u as proton PeVatron — Primary](https://www.sciencedaily.com/images/1920/nasa-fermi-gamma-ray-space-telescope-high-energy-particles.webp)

An international team led by Hiroshima University reports that Milky Way source LHAASO J1912+1014u accelerates protons beyond one quadrillion electron volts, a PeV threshold, ScienceDaily said, citing results in The Astrophysical Journal.

First author Tsunefumi Mizuno said finding a cosmic-ray proton accelerator above the PeV level is a major goal in modern astrophysics. Cosmic rays are mostly protons; natural accelerators can exceed energies reached by machines such as the Large Hadron Collider.

Earlier Tibet AS gamma and LHAASO detections of high-energy gamma rays could not alone separate proton from electron origins. The team combined Fermi Large Area Telescope GeV gamma-ray data, FUGIN radio maps of interstellar gas, Chandra X-ray observations, and TeV measurements including LHAASO.

ScienceDaily said three findings supported a hadronic, proton-driven scenario: a gamma-ray signal extending smoothly from more than 100 trillion electron volts down to 400 million electron volts; GeV gamma-ray distribution matching interstellar gas; and only very weak diffuse X-ray emission, which would be unexpected for an electron-dominated source. The object lies in Aquila near Altair and was discovered in 2024.

The paper is titled Hadronic Scenario for Galactic PeVatron LHAASO J1912 1014u Supported by Fermi-LAT gamma-Ray Data and FUGIN CO Data and carries DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ae680d.

## Sources

- [ScienceDaily](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260731034150.htm)

---
Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/fUYnFoYWFz1Ndm2r1FfW1Q
Retrieved: 2026-08-02T20:08:00.132Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)