A deep-sea observatory in the Mediterranean Sea has detected a neutrino with the highest energy ever recorded. The neutrino, which had traveled from beyond the Milky Way, was discovered by the partially completed Cubic Kilometre Neutrino Telescope (KM3NeT). Neutrinos are elusive particles, often called “ghost particles,” and detecting them provides rare insights into the universe’s most violent events.
What Are Neutrinos?
Neutrinos are the second-most abundant particles in the universe. They carry no charge, have almost no mass, and pass through matter undetected. Events like supernovas, neutron star collisions, and the activity of supermassive black holes create ultra-high-energy neutrinos, which travel across the universe in straight lines. These particles can reveal hidden cosmic phenomena that are otherwise beyond human observation.
How Are Neutrinos Detected?
Detecting neutrinos is difficult, but water helps. When light passes through water, it slows down, allowing faster-moving particles to overtake it. This phenomenon produces a bluish glow known as Cherenkov light. Sensitive detectors can spot this light, but the process requires a vast amount of water—at least one cubic kilometer, equivalent to 400,000 Olympic swimming pools.
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KM3NeT: A Deep-Sea Neutrino Observatory
KM3NeT, a European-led neutrino observatory, lies at the bottom of the Mediterranean. It consists of two main detectors: the ARCA detector, located off Sicily’s coast, focuses on astronomy, while the ORCA detector, situated near Toulon, France, studies neutrinos. These detectors use thousands of photomultipliers anchored to the seabed to amplify tiny amounts of light. Eventually, 200,000 of these sensors will be deployed.
A Record-Breaking Discovery
On February 13, 2023, ARCA detected a muon—a heavy electron created by a neutrino—that crossed the entire detector, triggering more than one-third of its active sensors. The detected neutrino carried an estimated energy of 220 petaelectronvolts (220 million billion electron volts). No neutrino with such energy had ever been recorded on Earth before.
French physicist Paschal Coyle added that creating such a particle on Earth would require a Large Hadron Collider the size of Earth’s circumference.
What Caused the Neutrino?
Scientists are confident the neutrino came from beyond the Milky Way. Its exact origin remains uncertain, but one theory points to blazars—intensely bright galactic cores powered by supermassive black holes—as potential sources.
Future Neutrino Alerts
At the time of detection, KM3NeT’s alert system was still under development.
This discovery marks a significant leap in understanding the universe’s most mysterious and violent events, offering new possibilities for future space exploration and research.
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