Latest news with #PUEO
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
A Baffling Signal Shot Up From Deep Within Earth's Ice—and No One Knows What Caused It
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: Anomalous radio signals detected in Antarctica by the ANITA experiment were coming upward from Earth rather than down from the sky. Researchers used digital and mathematical simulations to test whether they could be subatomic particles known as neutrinos, but it is unlikely. ANITA is retired, but the upcoming neutrino detector PUEO might finally identify what the signals are. Strange signals from outer space are constantly reaching Earth, hailing from sources like pulsars, quasars, and supernovas. In Antarctica, a signal like this recently seemed to materialize out of nowhere, but it wasn't coming from the sky above—instead, it was coming from the depths of the ocean. Two decades ago, far above the vast expanse of ice and snow, instruments aboard the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) experiment (now retired) were picking up radio waves from cosmic rays shooting through the atmosphere. When those rays collide with particles in said atmosphere, they scatter into secondary particles—a hundred of which pass right through our bodies every second without our realizing it. By detecting these particles, ANITA was giving insight into distant cosmic events. But then, things got weird. ANITA detected anomalous signals coming from below the horizon, at unusually sharp angles some 30 degrees below the icy surface. What appeared to be radio pulses had to have somehow penetrated thousands of miles of rock that they should have been absorbed by. How these ultrahigh-energy cosmic ray (UHECR) pulses could have been detected at all was a mystery. Physicist Stephanie Wissel of Penn State University, who had been scouring ANITA data for signals from neutrinos (which are already mysterious subatomic particles) had never seen anything remotely like it. 'Given the difficulties in interpreting the anomalous ANITA events, they have attracted a lot of attention,' Wissel and her researcher team said in a study recently published in Physical Review Letters. 'Theoretical interpretations involving [exotic physics] have been put forward invoking new particles that induce upward-going showers in the atmosphere.' The researchers thought it was possible that the signal could have been coming from those elusive neutrinos, which are blasted out by objects and phenomena that generate extreme amounts of energy. Most neutrinos interact with nothing, but tau neutrinos will interact with ice. This flavor of neutrino is associated with the tau lepton, another subatomic particle that starts to decay after it is released from ice, losing energy as it breaks down. Tau neutrino decay ends up giving off signals known as air showers, and the electromagnetic radiation released by these showers is detectable by a radio antenna such as ANITA's. But, despite that, the signal turned out not to be coming from neutrinos or tau neutrinos. Whatever was creating these signals was incongruent with computer simulations and mathematical models of both cosmic rays and hypothetical upward air showers, and the signals themselves were unlike anything detectors similar to ANITA—such as the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and Pierre Auger Observatory—had ever seen. The signals didn't even fit into the Standard Model of Particle Physics, which describes how matter is made up of subatomic particles. They could only be called anomalous. 'The results of this search do not support the interpretation that the anomalous pulses detected […] were caused by air showers sourced from particle interactions or decays, such as by decays of upward-going taus, the latter being the basis of proposed explanations based on physics beyond the Standard Model,' the researchers said. Could the signals be coming from particles previously unknown to physics? Possibly. They might also, however, be from neutrinos that went undetected. Wissel is now working on ANITA's successor—the larger and more sensitive PUEO neutrino detector. Maybe this anomaly will tell us something we would have never otherwise imagined. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Hindustan Times
17-06-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
Strange, unexplained signals detected from Antarctic ice: Here's what scientists say
A team of researchers trying to locate neutrinos in the Antarctic stumbled upon unusual radio signals coming from below the Earth's surface rather than space. The Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA), a range of equipment flown up on a balloon to capture waves from cosmic rays before they strike the Earth's surface, picked up the signals. This occurrence is contrary to the current commonly accepted norms of particle physics. The transmissions were caught from 30 degrees below the ice surface- a phenomenon quite uncommon for neutrinos. Stephanie Wissel, an astrophysicist at Penn State University and part of the team, said in her results journal, 'It's an interesting problem because we still don't actually have an explanation for what those anomalies are, but what we do know is that they're most likely not representing neutrinos.' According to the team's calculations, neutrino signals are highly unlikely to be detected despite their widespread availability. The signals would have had to pass through thousands of kilometers of rock before being recorded, which makes the possibility incredibly low. 'You have a billion neutrinos passing through your thumbnail at any moment, but neutrinos don't really interact. So, this is the double-edged sword problem. If we detect them, it means they have traveled all this way without interacting with anything else. We could be detecting a neutrino coming from the edge of the observable universe,' Wissel added. Given its secluded location and minimal interference from other signals, the Antarctic was picked as the backdrop of this study. Speaking about how the ANITA works, Wissel said, 'We have these radio antennas on a balloon that flies 40 kilometers above the ice in Antarctica. We point our antennas down at the ice and look for neutrinos that interact in the ice, producing radio emissions that we can then sense on our detectors.' After cross-referencing the data picked up by ANITA with two other independent detectors namely the IceCube Experiment and the Pierre Auger Observatory, the team found that the results didn't match. The signal has now been described as 'anomalous' and confirmed not to be a result of neutrino activity. 'My guess is that some interesting radio propagation effect occurs near ice and also near the horizon that I don't fully understand, but we certainly explored several of those, and we haven't been able to find any of those yet either,' Wissel noted. 'So, right now, it's one of these long-standing mysteries, and I'm excited that when we fly PUEO, we'll have better sensitivity. In principle, we should pick up more anomalies, and maybe we'll actually understand what they are. We also might detect neutrinos, which would in some ways be a lot more exciting.' Several plausible theories to explain the incident have been provided with some suggesting the existence of dark matter and unknown radio wave behavior due to the ice and proximity to the horizon. However, no concrete answer has been reached.
Metro
16-06-2025
- Science
- Metro
Mysterious radio pulses coming from below the Antarctic ice
Scientists have detected a series of unusual signals from beneath the ice in Antarctica. Researchers from the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) were baffled to find the signals coming from the ground at seemingly impossible angles. The study used a range of instruments mounted on air balloons flown above the ice-packed continent Publishing their findings in Physical Review Letters, scientists believe the discovery suggests the existence of unknown types of particles or interactions. The steep angles, at around 30 degrees below the ice, cannot be explained by the current understanding of particles. Stephanie Wissel, associate professor of physics, astronomy and astrophysics, said researchers were struggling to explain how the signals reached the detectors through thousands of kilometres of rock. She said: 'It's an interesting problem because we still don't actually have an explanation for what those anomalies are, but what we do know is that they're most likely not representing neutrinos. Neutrinos are tiny particles found everywhere in the universe but are notoriously difficult to detect. They are often emitted by high-energy sources such as the Sun or major cosmic events like supernovas. Wissel added: 'You have a billion neutrinos passing through your thumbnail at any moment, but neutrinos don't really interact. 'But it's a double-edged sword problem. If we detect them, it means they have travelled all this way without interacting with anything else. We could be detecting a neutrino coming from the edge of the observable universe.' ANITA, one of the few detectors designed to spot tiny particles, was set up in Antarctica, where few objects can interfere with signals. But analysis found the pulses discovered under the ice in Antarctica are 'anomalous' meaning they did not match standard particle physics. More Trending The Pennsylvania State University is now developing a more powerful detector called PUEO, which could shed more light on what the signals detected are. Wissel said the new technology would be able to pick up both neutrinos but also more anomalies, but until then, the unknown signals were 'one of these long-standing mysteries'. She said: 'My guess is that some interesting radio propagation effect occurs near ice and also near the horizon that I don't fully understand, but we certainly explored several of those, and we haven't been able to find any of those yet either.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Killer Asian needle ants are invading the US MORE: Here's why Keir Starmer thinks technology will actually make us 'more human' MORE: The 'Gate to Hell' has been open for 50 years but is finally burning out
Newsweek
16-06-2025
- Science
- Newsweek
Mysterious Radio Signal Rising From Antarctica's Ice Baffles Scientists
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Mysterious radio signals detected emanating from Antarctica's ice have left particle physicists baffled. The pulses were detected by the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA)—an array of radio instruments flown high above the southernmost continent via air balloon. ANTIA was designed to detect the radio waves generated when neutrinos from space hit the Antarctic ice, with the aim of learning more about distant cosmic phenomena. In contrast, these strange new signals appear to be coming from below the horizon, a source direction that cannot be reconciled with our current understanding of particle physics. To reach the detector, the team explained, the signal must have traveled through thousands of miles of rock first, which should have attenuated it down to nothing. "The radio waves that we detected were at really steep angles, like 30 degrees below the surface of the ice," said paper author and physicist Stephanie Wissel. "It's an interesting problem because we still don't actually have an explanation for what those anomalies are, but what we do know is that they're most likely not representing neutrinos." The ANITA Experiment prepares for launch. The ANITA Experiment prepares for launch. Stephanie Wissel / Penn State Perhaps the most ironic aspect of this discovery is that ANITA was launched over Antarctica in part because this remote location should limit the risk of interference from other signals. The team's analysis of the strange new signals ruled out the possibility that they were caused by neutrinos, regular cosmic rays, or other known particle-based signals. "My guess is that some interesting radio propagation effect occurs near ice and also near the horizon that I don't fully understand," said Wissel. "But we certainly explored several of those—and we haven't been able to find any of those yet either. So, right now it's one of those long-standing mysteries." The researchers are currently developing the next big ultra-high energy particle detector, the Payload for Ultrahigh Energy Observations, or "PUEO" for short. When PUEO launches, Wissel added, "we should pick up more anomalies, and maybe we'll actually understand what they are. We also might detect neutrinos, which would in some ways be a lot more exciting." Neutrinos are electrically neutral elementary particles that are abundant in the universe, being emitted from high-energy sources such as stars, supernovas, and even the Big Bang. Despite the presence of neutrino signals throughout the cosmos, they are notoriously difficult to detect. This is because these particles typically pass straight through regular matter, as they interact weakly with it via gravity and the weak nuclear force. "You have a billion neutrinos passing through your thumbnail at any moment, but neutrinos don't really interact," Wissel explained. "So, this is the double-edged sword problem. If we detect them, it means they have traveled all this way without interacting with anything else. We could be detecting a neutrino coming from the edge of the observable universe." Because of this, the detection of even one neutrino offers a veritable trove of information, the researchers explained. "We use radio detectors to try to build really, really large neutrino telescopes so that we can go after a pretty low expected event rate," said Wissel. In the case of ANITA, the researchers are hunting for signs of a flavor of neutrino—the tau neutrino—which can interact with ice to form a "tau lepton." When tau leptons decay, they break down and produce emissions known as showers. By projecting backward from these signals, physicists are able to determine the nature of the neutrinos that triggered them. Unfortunately, the same does not apply to the new, strange signals, however, as their angle of flight is outside that predicted by existing models. Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about particle physics? Let us know via science@ Reference Pierre Auger Collaboration, Abdul Halim, A., Abreu, P., Aglietta, M., Allekotte, I., Almeida Cheminant, K., Almela, A., Aloisio, R., Alvarez-Muñiz, J., Ammerman Yebra, J., Anastasi, G. A., Anchordoqui, L., Andrada, B., Andringa, S., Apollonio, L., Aramo, C., Araújo Ferreira, P. R., Arnone, E., Arteaga Velázquez, J. C., ... Zeolla, A. (2025). Search for the Anomalous Events Detected by ANITA Using the Pierre Auger Observatory. Physical Review Letters, 134(12).
NDTV
16-06-2025
- Science
- NDTV
Scientists Baffled By Mysterious Radio Waves Coming From Under Antarctica Ice
Scientists have been left perplexed after they found strange radio waves coming from beneath the ice in Antarctica. A group of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania detected the mysterious signals that "defy the current understanding of particle physics". As per the study results published in the journal Physical Review Letters, the mysterious radio waves were discovered by the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA). As per the researchers, the anomalous signal had to travel through thousands of kilometres of rock before reaching the detector. In typical circumstances, the distance and the distortions alone would have rendered the radio signal undetectable, but somehow it managed to reach the scientists. "The radio waves that we detected were at really steep angles, like 30 degrees below the surface of the ice," said Stephanie Wissel, associate professor of physics, astronomy and astrophysics, who worked on the ANITA team. The scientists discovered the radio waves accidentally while searching for neutrinos -- a type of particle with no charge, having the smallest mass of all subatomic particles. They are usually emitted by high-energy sources like the Sun or major cosmic events like supernovas or even the Big Bang. "It's an interesting problem because we still don't actually have an explanation for what those anomalies are, but what we do know is that they're most likely not representing neutrinos," said Ms Wissel. Mystery of anomalous particle Ms Wissel added that you could have a billion neutrinos passing through you at any moment, but they don't interact with you. "My guess is that some interesting radio propagation effect occurs near ice and also near the horizon that I don't fully understand, but we certainly explored several of those, and we haven't been able to find any of those yet either," she theorised. "So, right now, it's one of these long-standing mysteries." Though the Penn State team does not have any answers about the anomalous signal currently, Ms Wissel is hopeful that the new detector, called PUEO, better at detecting neutrino signals, might solve the mystery. "I'm excited that when we fly PUEO, we'll have better sensitivity. In principle, we should pick up more anomalies, and maybe we'll actually understand what they are."
