What was Blackett's theory of cosmic rays?
My central idea about cosmic rays was that they are primarily composed of high-energy charged particles, not photons as some speculated. Using my counter-controlled cloud chamber, I systematically photographed thousands of cosmic ray tracks and measured their energies and interactions. I showed that these particles could produce showers of secondary particles when they struck matter, and I identified the positron as a new particle in these showers. This was not mere theory; it was a direct observation of nature. I argued that cosmic rays provide a natural laboratory for studying particle physics at energies far beyond what any accelerator could achieve at the time. The evidence was clear: these were charged particles, and their behavior followed the laws of quantum electrodynamics.
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