The IceCube Neutrino Observatory has detected neutrinos, known as ‘ghost particles’, originating from within our own Milky Way for the first time.

Opening Discoveries: The finding suggests that neutrinos might be a tool to study hidden or elusive phenomena in the universe.
* Neutrinos are subatomic particles that seem to barely interact with the rest of the physical world, often compared to “ghosts slipping through the night.”
* While it’s common for the Earth to be bombarded by neutrinos originating in the sun or the atmosphere, this is the first evidence of neutrinos from the Milky Way.

Background: A decade ago, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory managed to find neutrinos coming from outside our solar system.
* “It was accepted that there would be neutrinos coming from our galaxy, but we didn’t have any evidence until now,” says Ignacio Taboada, a professor of physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology and IceCube’s spokesperson.

Research Findings: Machine learning techniques were used to analyze 10 years of data, revealing these “home-grown” neutrinos.
* Uncertainties exist whether these neutrinos are emerging from specific sources within the galaxy or if it’s a more diffuse kind of emission.

Potential Opportunities: This discovery opens possibilities for learning more about the origins of cosmic rays.
* Cosmic rays are subatomic particles that travel at nearly the speed of light across the universe, and much about them remains mysterious.

View original article on NPR

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