He neutrino It is a fundamental subatomic particle, that is, it is one of the ‘small blocks’ that come together to form everything that exists around us. It is called “ghost” particle, given that has no electrical chargealmost does not interact with matter and radiation, and Its mass is very small, less than that of an electron. However, after photons, it is the most abundant particle in the universe.
After photons, neutrinos are the most abundant type of element in the entire universe. They are subatomic particles without an electrical charge and with a mass much less than that of an electron.
Now, during the 31st International Conference on Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics In Milan, Italy, a discovery: a Particle found at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea could be the most energetic neutrino ever detected on Earth, and could indicate a massive cosmic event.
Detection of very high energy particles
The particle that could be the most energetic neutrino ever detected has been identified by the Observatory Astroarticle Research with Cosmics in the Abyss (ARK), at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.
This observatory is a structure formed by detectors attached to ‘ropes’ on the seabed at 3,500 meters depth, southeast of the sicily island, in ITaliaThese strings are long vertical structures on the seafloor that support the neutrino detectors.
Francis Halzen, a physicist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the neutrino detection was “a fantastic event,” highlighting the observatory’s potential.
And each of these ropes has several spheres made of a material known as polymethylmethacrylate. These spheres contain light detectors, which are sensitive devices capable of capturing flashes of light produced by high-energy subatomic particles.
Neutrinos are considered messengers of some of the most catastrophic events in the universesuch as explosions of supermassive black holes in distant galaxies. Therefore, This discovery promises to provide valuable clues about massive cosmic events..
João Coelho, physicist of the AstroParticles and Cosmology Laboratory (APC) of Paris, who announced the discovery at the conference, stated that The detected neutrino “stands out impressively” in relation to other events. However, he did not reveal the exact address where it came from or when the sighting occurred.
According to the scientist, more than a third of ARCA’s sensors recorded flashes consistent with a muon that crosses the observatory horizontally, produced by a neutrino that arrived approximately 1 degree below the horizon. The particle probably had an energy of many tens of petaelectronvolts, which would make it the most energetic ever detected..
The search for neutrinos should not stop
At least four new observatories are being built or have been proposed to detect these extreme particles.For example, a future neutrino observatory on the island from Vancouver, Canada; and a prototype in the testing phase in Utah (USA.) .
The detection of the very high energy neutrino by the ARCA observatory is an important milestone for particle physicsas it presents possibilities for a new understanding of the catastrophic cosmic events occurring in our universe.
News reference:
Castelvecchi, D. ‘Fantastic’ particle could be most energetic neutrino ever detected. Nature2024.
