Record-Breaking High Energy Neutrino Detected by KM3NeT

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Record-Breaking High Energy Neutrino Detected by KM3NeT
NeutrinosKm3netHigh Energy Physics
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The Kilometer Cubed Neutrino Telescope (KM3NeT) has detected the decay products of the most energetic neutrino ever observed, carrying an estimated energy of 220 peta-electronvolts. The detection provides insight into the origins of ultra-high energy neutrinos, potentially originating from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and blazars.

Neutrinos, the elusive particles that make up the standard model of particle physics, continue to baffle scientists. These nearly massless, electrically neutral particles rarely interact with other matter, making them incredibly difficult to detect. They also exhibit a peculiar behavior known as oscillation, constantly shifting between three different flavors. Despite their abundance, emanating from the sun and other cosmic sources, understanding neutrinos remains a significant challenge.

\Recently, the Kilometer Cubed Neutrino Telescope (KM3NeT), a deep-sea neutrino detector located in the Mediterranean Sea, made a groundbreaking discovery. On February 13, 2023, one of KM3NeT's particle detectors detected a muon, a heavier cousin of the electron, traveling at an extraordinary speed and angle. This detection, along with meticulous data analysis over two years, led scientists to conclude that the muon was likely created by the interaction of a matter particle with an ultra-high energy neutrino. \The detected neutrino carried an estimated energy of 220 peta-electronvolts (PeV), making it the most energetic neutrino ever observed. This energy is staggering, exceeding the energy output of the Large Hadron Collider by a factor of over 16,000. While the neutrino itself was not directly observed, its presence was inferred from the muon's trajectory and energy. The immense energy required to propel the muon across the vast distance it traveled through seawater and solid rock points towards an exotic origin for this cosmic particle. Scientists believe that only the most powerful sources in the universe, such as active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and blazars, could produce such high-energy neutrinos. These AGNs possess supermassive black holes at their cores, actively consuming matter and ejecting jets of high-energy particles, including neutrinos, at near-light speeds. Blazars, a specific type of AGN, have jets pointed directly at Earth, making them particularly potent sources of these elusive particles

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