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Scientists discover an ultra-energetic neutrino in the Mediterranean Sea: The ghost particle that unlocks the secrets of the cosmos
A stunning discovery is revolutionizing astrophysics: scientists have captured a neutrino with energy never before recorded, using a vast network of underwater sensors in the Mediterranean Sea.
The particle, called KM3-230213A, has an energy level 30.000 times greater than that produced by the world's largest particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN.
This promising finding opens new perspectives for neutrino astronomy and the understanding of the most extreme phenomena in the universe.
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The Neutrino: The Ghost Particle of the Universe
Neutrinos are subatomic particles practically massless, which travel through the universe passing through stars, planets and entire galaxies without suffering any change.
Due to its extremely weak interaction with matter, its detection is a real challenge for scientists.
However, when they interact with water or ice, they emit a blue light that can be picked up by specialized sensors.
The discovery was made by the KM3NeT Collaboration, which involves more than 360 scientists from different parts of the world.
The study was published in the renowned journal Nature, highlighting the importance of this event in the investigation of cosmic mysteries.
Unprecedented energy
The identified neutrino has an energy of 220 million billion electron volts, an astonishing value for an elementary particle.
To give you an idea, this energy is equivalent to the fission of a billion uranium atoms. In comparative terms, the ultra-energetic neutrino has one billion times 100 million the energy of a photon of visible light.
Mysterious origin and possible sources
Scientists believe this neutrino came from far beyond the Milky Way, possibly from an extreme environment such as a supermassive black hole, a gamma-ray burst or the remnant of a supernova.
However, its exact origin is still a mystery, and further studies will be needed to determine its trajectory and source.
During the analysis, the researchers identified 12 potential blazars that could be related to neutrino emission.
Blazars are active galactic nuclei that emit jets of very high-energy particles, and may be linked to the creation of the record-breaking neutrino.
KM3NeT: A revolutionary underwater telescope
Detection was performed by KM3NeT (Cubic Kilometer Neutrino Telescope), an innovative project installed in the depths of the Mediterranean Sea.
Comprising two main detectors, ARCA, positioned at a depth of 3.450 meters near the coast of Sicily, and ORCA, located at 2.450 meters near Toulon, France, this sensor network is being designed to capture neutrinos of different energy ranges.
Even though it was only operating at 10% of its total capacity, the ARCA detector managed to capture the ultra-energetic neutrino, recording more than 28.000 photons of light from the particle's interaction with water.
Implications for the future of astronomy
The detection of this ultra-energetic neutrino marks a new chapter in particle astronomy and the quest to understand the origin of cosmic rays, which are the most energetic particles known in the universe.
Scientists hope that advances in neutrino telescopes will allow them to more accurately map the sources of these particles and better understand the cataclysmic events that generate them.
“Neutrinos are special cosmic messengers, bringing unique information about the most energetic phenomena in the universe,” said Rosa Coniglione, a researcher at Italy’s National Institute of Nuclear Physics and co-author of the study.
The detection of KM3-230213A reinforces the importance of continuing to invest in neutrino capture technology, as these particles can reveal deep secrets of the cosmos and help answer fundamental questions about the origin of the universe.
