In a groundbreaking discovery scientists have detected an ultra-high-energy neutrino a “ghost particle” that could transform our understanding of the universe. The neutrino carrying 30 times more energy than any previously detected identified using data from the KM3NeT (Cubic Kilometre Neutrino Telescope), located deep in the Mediterranean Sea.
The discovery, reported in Nature, marks one of the most energetic neutrinos ever observed. Dr. Satyendra Thoudam of Khalifa University, who was involved in the project, described it as the highest-energy neutrino ever measured packing energy 100 million billion times greater than visible light.
Neutrinos are born from extreme cosmic phenomena like supernovae and black hole collisions. They are nearly massless, have no charge, and travel almost at the speed of light, barely interacting with matter earning them the nickname ghost particles.
A human-sized neutrino detector would need to wait a century for a single interaction with a neutrino, highlighting their elusive nature.
Scientists believe that these neutrinos can provide unique insights into distant cosmic events, helping to unravel the mysteries of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays and their journey across the universe.
“This has opened a new window into the universe and one of the most fundamental astrophysical problems how these high-energy particles propagate,” Dr. Thoudam said.
This detection marks a major leap in multi-messenger astronomy, allowing researchers to study the cosmos in an entirely new way.