The ghost particle hunters
The team 350 physicists, computer specialists, and engineers from more than 50 institutions in 14 countries.
The mission Tracking down neutrinos, which is no mean feat and for a long time was even deemed to be impossible. Although neutrinos, besides light particles (photons), are the most common elementary particles in the universe, they’re practically impossible to catch because they’re nearly massless and electrically neutral. Per second, around a billion of them at nearly the speed of light hit every square centimeter of area on Earth, including our bodies, and just fly right through. We don’t see or feel any of that, which is why neutrinos are also called ghost particles.
The playing field All over the world researchers involved in the project are working on analyzing the data gathered by the world’s largest neutrino detector called IceCube. In addition, the scientists keep developing the project and the system. The heart of IceCube is located in the Antarctic ice crust at the geographic South Pole. Its 5,160 sensor balls about the size of medicine balls were immersed in the ice at depths between 1,450 and 2,450 meters (4,750 and (8,040 feet). That was a laborious job because the drilling process took an average of 48 hours per hole. Up to 48 people locally supported the IceCube assembly project across seven Antarctic summers (November 1 to February 15). Two people on the ground must be enough to operate the site during Antarctic winters when the Sun never rises and temperatures drop below –70 degrees centigrade (–94 °F). Currently, work is in progress on IceCube-Gen2, whose measuring field is supposed to grow from one to eight cubic kilometers (0.24 to 1.9 cubic miles). Completion is targeted for 2032.
The benefit With numerous crosslinks to various areas of physics, cosmology, and astronomy, neutrinos play a central role in answering unsolved questions. IceCube opens up new opportunities to explore the secrets of our universe. The researchers agree that the insights gained in the process are meant to enrich our knowledge in myriad ways.