Identified as neutrinos, these tiny subatomic particles carry minimal mass and lack electric charge. Often referred to as “phantom particles,” this is due to their ability to glide without leaving a mark through gases, dust, and even celestial bodies. High-energy neutrinos traverse indiscriminately across the universe, relaying details about far-off locations. Yet, the origins of these particles have usually been enigmatic.
Ghost particles. That's the name numerous physicists give to neutrinos, the nearly weightless subatomic particles that are omnipresent, everywhere, at every moment. Their presence is typically undetectable, and it often requires experiments as large as swimming pools or even bigger to capture them. Yet they are vital components in the particle physics enigma that explains everything we observe in the universe. And they're incredibly odd. Here are some of the peculiar things physicists have discovered about neutrinos.
Recently, the IceCube neutrino observatory, located beneath the Amundsen-Scott station in Antarctica, achieved the remarkable feat of capturing an image of the Milky Way. What sets this accomplishment apart is that it was achieved not through the use of visible light, but by utilizing neutrinos originating from the core of our galaxy. Why is this discovery significant, how does artificial intelligence play a role, and what exactly are neutrinos? Today, we will delve into these questions.
A fresh perspective of our galaxy, the Milky Way, is being constructed from the enigmatic particles known as neutrinos. While the current representation remains indistinct and unfinished, the accruing data promises to sharpen the image and shed light on cosmic phenomena like expanding supernova remnants that have remained enigmatic to conventional telescope observations.