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‘Ghost particles’ in deep space may originate from galactic cores fed by supermassive black holes, according to a new study that could unlock the mystery of these subatomic particles that formed before the universe.
Ghost particles, or neutrinos, have puzzled scientists since they were first discovered in 1956 because they have no mass and rarely interact with matter.
These tiny particles have no electric charge and are virtually unaffected by matter or natural forces in the universe, but they are the second most common particle on Earth after photons.
Galactic nuclei, called Blazars, are galaxies with supermassive black holes in their nuclei whose jets are directed directly at Earth.
A team of researchers led by the University of Würzburg has identified the source of the ghost particles by cross-referencing data about the particles’ paths and the University of Würzburg’s position in the universe.
They found that 10 out of 19 neutrino hotspots came from blazars.
The task of solving the mystery of ghost particles is important because it will provide a better understanding of how the matter that makes up everything around us evolved from simple to complex particles.
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Artist’s impression of an active galactic core from which a ghostly subatomic particle appeared
At the center of most galaxies, including our own, is a supermassive black hole that produces a disk of gas, dust, and stellar debris.
When material on the disk falls toward the black hole, its gravitational energy can be converted into light, making the centers of these galaxies extremely bright known as active galactic nuclei (AGN).
The galaxy is called a Blazar when its jets are aimed at Earth, a theory that works to create ghostly particles.
The result was determined by researchers who collected data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica, the most sensitive neutrino detector on Earth, between 2008 and 2015.
By collecting particle data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica, the study concluded that the ghost particles were coming from the blazar (pictured).
It is referenced with BZCat, which can index more than 3,500 items.
The results show that 10 of the 19 IceCube hotspots located in the southern sky originated from blazars.
Andrea Tremaser, a researcher in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Geneva, said in a statement. Report: The discovery of high-energy neutrino factories marks a milestone in astrophysics.
“This puts us another step closer to solving the century-old mystery of the origin of cosmic rays.”
Scientists have been trying to study the elusive particle since it was first predicted by Wolfgang Pauli in 1931.
Many believe they may hold the key to understanding parts of the universe that are hidden from our view, such as dark matter and dark energy.
The high-energy neutrino was first detected on September 22, 2017 by the IceCube Observatory, a large facility that sank a mile below the South Pole.
Here, a network of more than 5,000 ultra-sensitive sensors captured the characteristic blue “Cherenkov” light emitted when a neutrino interacts with ice.
Neutrino jets are thought to arise from high-energy cosmic rays interacting with nearby objects.
Professor Paul O’Brien, a member of the International Group of Astronomers from the University of Leicester, said: “Neutrinos rarely interact with matter.
Finding them from the universe is surprising, but identifying a possible source is a victory.
This result will allow us to study the most powerful and far-flung sources of energy in the universe in a completely new way.