A Super-Energetic Neutrino That Reached Earth in 2023 Has Been Confirmed to Be Real. But Where Did It Come From?

In February 2023, a cosmic particle detector housed heavy successful nan Mediterranean Sea recorded nan presence of a neutrino pinch astir 20 to 30 times much power than immoderate different neutrino documented previously. Labelled KM3-230213A, nan particle had a calculated power of 220 petaelectronvolts (PeV), acold greater than nan 10 PeV of nan antecedently astir energetic neutrino. The uncovering generated a batch of excitement among physicists, but raised besides galore questions.

Neutrinos are nan most abundant particles successful nan beingness pinch mass. They are a type of basal particle, which intends they don’t break down into smaller constituents, and are truthful very mini and light. In fact, they are nan lightest of each subatomic particles that person mass. Neutrinos besides don’t person a complaint (unlike, say, electrons, different type of basal particle, which are negative). As a result, only very seldom do neutrinos interact pinch with different matter; often they’ll walk consecutive done it without altering it. In fact, trillions of neutrinos travelling done abstraction will person passed done your assemblage since you started reference this article. For this logic neutrinos sometimes called “ghost particles.”

For particle physicists, nan discovery of this anomalously energetic neutrino could only beryllium explained successful 2 ways: Either KM3-230213A was grounds of a cosmic process, perchance 1 ne'er witnessed before, pinch nan imaginable to alteration our knowing of neutrinos; aliases it was a disappointing measurement error. Researchers quickly group to activity to find retired which mentation was true.

Now location seems to beryllium an answer. A broad study published successful nan diary Physical Review X compared nan information of KM3-230213A pinch databases of accusation connected different shade particles that person been detected. Having analyzed nan disposable data, scientists judge that this remarkable, ultra-energetic neutrino was not a statistical illusion.

But Where Did It Come From?

Just arsenic a stone cannot picture nan quality of a mountain, a 220 PeV neutrino unsocial isn’t useful successful explaining nan arena that gave emergence to it. As nan insubstantial acknowledges, pinch nan accusation available, it’s not imaginable to “draw patient conclusions connected whether nan study hints astatine a caller ultra-high-energy constituent successful nan spectrum.”

But if location were different recordings of likewise energetic neutrinos, this would coming a important beforehand by hinting that different antecedently unseen phenomena are retired there. “It could mean we are seeing cosmogenic neutrinos for nan first time, produced erstwhile cosmic rays interacted pinch nan cosmic microwave background, aliases it could constituent to a caller benignant of astrophysical source,” nan study says.

The power of nan 2023 neutrino besides suggests it could person been emitted by 1 of nan powerful cosmic accelerators that we’re alert of successful nan universe: a gamma-ray burst aliases supernova, aliases possibly a relativistic jet—a beam of plasma emitted from nan vicinity of a achromatic hole. In contrast, galore of nan neutrinos detected connected Earth are atmospheric neutrinos, produced by nan effect of cosmic rays hitting atoms successful Earth’s atmosphere, and are acold little energetic. They are nan aforesaid particles, but their apt origins effect their energy.

Different branches of subject usage and study neutrinos for different reasons. Because neutrinos recreation done nan beingness without being deflected aliases absorbed, they tin supply valuable accusation astir very distant cosmic events. Some scientists deliberation of them arsenic “reporters from nan universe” who, from clip to time, recreation to Earth pinch information that would different beryllium lost.

This communicative primitively appeared on WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.