PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

IceCube detects first high-energy neutrinos from the cosmos

World's largest particle detector opens up a new branch of astronomy

2013-11-22
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Dr. Thomas Zoufal
presse@desy.de
49-408-998-1666
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
IceCube detects first high-energy neutrinos from the cosmos World's largest particle detector opens up a new branch of astronomy This news release is available in German.

Within the eternal ice of Antarctica, scientists have observed the first solid evidence for high-energy neutrinos coming from cosmic accelerators beyond our own solar system. Between May 2010 and May 2012 the IceCube detector at the South Pole captured a total of 28 neutrinos with energies greater than 30 teraelectronvolts (TeV). Two of the neutrinos had an energy of more than 1,000 TeV — that's more than the kinetic energy of a fly in flight — compressed into a single elementary particle. The international IceCube collaboration, in which DESY is the second-largest partner after the University of Wisconsin-Madison, now presents these observations in the scientific journal Science.

"This is the first indication of very high-energy neutrinos coming from outside our solar system," says Francis Halzen, principal investigator of IceCube and the Hilldale and Gregory Breit Distinguished Professor of Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Neutrinos are elementary particles that have almost no mass and interact extremely seldom with other particles. They are unique messengers of the highest-energy events in the universe, because in contrast to light they can easily escape from extremely dense environments — such as the core of a supernova explosion or the interior of cosmic particle accelerators.

For example, neutrinos from the famous supernova 1987A reached the Earth approximately three hours before the flash of light, which first had to make its way out of the supernova. "However, the neutrinos that have now been detected by IceCube have energies that are millions of times higher than those coming from supernova 1987A," emphasizes the head of the neutrino astronomy group at DESY in Zeuthen near Berlin, Dr. Markus Ackermann.

The advantage of the neutrinos as cosmic messengers is also a disadvantage. That's because they fly through matter so easily that countless neutrinos penetrate the earth every second without leaving any trace. Very seldom does a neutrino collide with another particle. Gigantic detectors are needed in order to enable researchers to occasionally observe such a neutrino event. IceCube, the largest particle detector in the world, encompasses a whole cubic kilometre of the eternal ice of the Antarctic. Inside IceCube, a total of 5,160 sensitive detectors hang from 86 steel cables. These detectors, which are known as optical modules, are sensitive to the weak flashes of light that are generated by a neutrino collision. After a construction period of seven years, the gigantic detector was fully operational at the end of 2010.

The first hints of extra-terrestrial high-energy neutrinos came with the unexpected discovery in April 2012 of two detector events above 1000 TeV. The IceCube scientists nicknamed these two rare events "Ernie" and "Bert". An analysis of those events was reported in the scientific journal Physical Review Letters. An intensified search, the results of which are presented now, turned up 26 additional events beyond 30 teraelectronvolts, exceeding the results expected for neutrinos produced in the earth's atmosphere.

"Perhaps, we are currently experiencing the birth of neutrino astronomy," says Ackermann. The analysis did not find any statistically significant clustering of the 28 events either in time or space - the number of events is too small. "We are now working hard on improving the significance of our observation, and on understanding what this signal means and where it comes from", says collaboration spokesperson Professor Olga Botner of Uppsala University (Sweden). With an increase in the number of events the scientists hope to identify sources of high energy neutrinos in the cosmos.

The international IceCube team consists of 260 scientists from eleven countries. "The success of IceCube builds on the efforts of hundreds of people around the world," emphasizes Botner. In Germany, apart from DESY eight universities participate in the collaboration: the Technical University of Aachen, the Humboldt University Berlin, the University of Bochum, the University of Bonn, the Technical University of Dortmund, the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, the University of Mainz, the Technical University of Munich and the University of Wuppertal. Apart from a quarter of the optical modules, the German participants contributed a significant part of the receiver electronics on the ice surface. The German share of about 20 million Euro was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the Helmholtz Association, the German Research Foundation, and by the budgets of the participating universities.

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY is the leading German accelerator centre and one of the leading in the world. DESY is a member of the Helmholtz Association and receives its funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) (90 percent) and the German federal states of Hamburg and Brandenburg (10 percent). At its locations in Hamburg and Zeuthen near Berlin, DESY develops, builds and operates large particle accelerators, and uses them to investigate the structure of matter. DESY's combination of photon science and particle physics is unique in Europe.

### Reference: Evidence for High-Energy Extraterrestrial Neutrinos at the IceCube Detector; The IceCube Collaboration; Science (2013); DOI: 10.1126/science.1242856 END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Discovery could usher in new ice age of astrophysics

2013-11-22
Discovery could usher in new ice age of astrophysics (Edmonton) Scientists using a particle detector made of ice at the South Pole have found the first indication of high-energy neutrinos that originate outside of the solar system. "This is a huge result. It ...

Improve learning by taming instructional complexity

2013-11-22
Improve learning by taming instructional complexity Carnegie Mellon and Temple researchers offer fresh perspective for educational research VIDEO: From using concrete or ...

Researchers identify lifestyle factors linked to a healthy pregnancy

2013-11-22
Researchers identify lifestyle factors linked to a healthy pregnancy Modifiable factors such as weight, diet and drug abuse could be targeted for change On bmj.com today, researchers identify certain lifestyle factors that make it more likely for a woman ...

Dreading pain can be worse than pain itself

2013-11-22
Dreading pain can be worse than pain itself Press release from PLOS Computational Biology Faced with inevitable pain, most people choose to "get it out of the way" as soon as possible, according to research published this week in PLOS Computational Biology. ...

UEA researchers pioneer first patient-specific 3-D virtual birth simulator

2013-11-22
UEA researchers pioneer first patient-specific 3-D virtual birth simulator Computer scientists from the University of East Anglia are working to create a virtual birthing simulator that will help doctors and midwives prepare for unusual or dangerous births. The ...

Lowering 3 risk factors could cut obesity-related risk of heart disease by more than half

2013-11-22
Lowering 3 risk factors could cut obesity-related risk of heart disease by more than half Research looks at blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose Boston, MA — Controlling blood pressure, serum cholesterol, and blood glucose may substantially reduce the ...

Lowering blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar could halve obesity-related risk of heart disease

2013-11-22
Lowering blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar could halve obesity-related risk of heart disease Controlling blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose may substantially reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke associated with being overweight ...

Astronomers reveal mystery of brightest ever gamma-ray burst

2013-11-22
Astronomers reveal mystery of brightest ever gamma-ray burst New research explains celestial phenomenon recorded earlier this year For the first time, a team of astronomers from around the world, including experts from the University of Leicester, have used ...

Research reveals details of how flu evolves to escape immunity

2013-11-22
Research reveals details of how flu evolves to escape immunity Study shows that seasonal flu escapes immunity with single amino acid substitutions Scientists have identified a potential way to improve future flu vaccines after discovering that seasonal flu ...

Cosmic finding ushers in 'new age of astronomy'

2013-11-22
Cosmic finding ushers in 'new age of astronomy' UD researchers part of international team that identifies very high-energy neutrinos coming from outside our solar system Neutrinos can zip right through your body, the walls of your house, entire planets, even ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Multi-resistance in bacteria predicted by AI model

Tinker Tots: A citizen science project to explore ethical dilemmas in embryo selection

Sensing sickness

Cost to build multifamily housing in California more than twice as high as in Texas

Program takes aim at drinking, unsafe sex, and sexual assault on college campuses

Inability to pay for healthcare reaches record high in U.S.

Science ‘storytelling’ urgently needed amid climate and biodiversity crisis

KAIST Develops Retinal Therapy to Restore Lost Vision​

Adipocyte-hepatocyte signaling mechanism uncovered in endoplasmic reticulum stress response

Mammals were adapting from life in the trees to living on the ground before dinosaur-killing asteroid

Low LDL cholesterol levels linked to reduced risk of dementia

Thickening of the eye’s retina associated with greater risk and severity of postoperative delirium in older patients

Almost one in ten people surveyed report having been harmed by the NHS in the last three years

Enhancing light control with complex frequency excitations

New research finds novel drug target for acute myeloid leukemia, bringing hope for cancer patients

New insight into factors associated with a common disease among dogs and humans

Illuminating single atoms for sustainable propylene production

New study finds Rocky Mountain snow contamination

Study examines lactation in critically ill patients

UVA Engineering Dean Jennifer West earns AIMBE’s 2025 Pierre Galletti Award

Doubling down on metasurfaces

New Cedars-Sinai study shows how specialized diet can improve gut disorders

Making moves and hitting the breaks: Owl journeys surprise researchers in western Montana

PKU Scientists simulate the origin and evolution of the North Atlantic Oscillation

ICRAFT breakthrough: Unlocking A20’s dual role in cancer immunotherapy

How VR technology is changing the game for Alzheimer’s disease

A borrowed bacterial gene allowed some marine diatoms to live on a seaweed diet

Balance between two competing nerve proteins deters symptoms of autism in mice

Use of antifungals in agriculture may increase resistance in an infectious yeast

Awareness grows of cancer risk from alcohol consumption, survey finds

[Press-News.org] IceCube detects first high-energy neutrinos from the cosmos
World's largest particle detector opens up a new branch of astronomy