Detected neutrino is 20 times more powerful than any previously recorded
Scientists have discovered a cosmic "ghost particle," which could be the most energetic neutrino ever detected, according to the journal Nature.
The particle, likely originating from a distant galaxy, was detected on Feb. 13, 2023, by the Cubic Kilometre Neutrino Telescope (KM3NeT) which consists of light-detecting glass spheres positioned on the Mediterranean Sea floor.
The detected neutrino is 20 times more powerful than previously recorded ones.
Researchers only identified the detection in early 2024, after completing their initial data analysis.
“We had to convince ourselves that it wasn't something strange or weird with the telescope,” said Paschal Coyle, a neutrino physicist at Aix-Marseille University in France and KM3NeT spokesperson.
Neutrinos are electrically neutral particles, over a million times lighter than electrons. While typically produced in nuclear reactions like those in the Sun, researchers have been recording neutrinos with energies up to several quadrillion electronvolts (1 petaelectronvolt) for over 10 years, believed to come from distant galaxies.
According to the article, the origin of ultra-high-energy neutrinos is unclear, but they may come from black holes, gamma-ray bursts, or collisions between particles and the cosmic microwave background.
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