Possible detection of new particles with new physics in Antarctic

The Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna, or ANITA, has detected two unusual signals.

ANITA floats on a helium balloon 37000 meters high for a month at a time. It searches for the signals of high-energy particles from space, including lightweight, ghostly particles called neutrinos. Those neutrinos can interact within Antarctica’s ice, producing radio waves that are picked up by ANITA’s antennas.

It appears to be from extremely energetic neutrinos shooting skyward from within the Earth. But high-energy neutrinos can’t pass through as much material as lower-energy neutrinos can. So although high-energy neutrinos can skim the edges of the planet, they won’t survive a pass straight through.

Either new high-energy neutrinos have been detected that are less likely to react to the Earth’s matter or there was some kind of error in the analysis.

Arxiv – The ANITA Anomalous Events as Signatures of a Beyond Standard Model Particle, and Supporting Observations from IceCube

The ANITA collaboration have reported observation of two anomalous events that appear to be εcr≈0.6 EeV cosmic ray showers emerging from the Earth with exit angles of 27∘ and 35∘, respectively. While EeV-scale upgoing showers have been anticipated as a result of astrophysical tau neutrinos converting to tau leptons during Earth passage, the observed exit angles are much steeper than expected in Standard Model (SM) scenarios. Indeed, under conservative extrapolations of the SM interactions, there is no particle that can propagate through the Earth with probability p>10−6 at these energies and exit angles. We explore here whether “beyond the Standard Model” (BSM) particles are required to explain the ANITA events, if correctly interpreted, and conclude that they are. Seeking confirmation or refutation of the physical phenomenon of sub-EeV Earth-emergent cosmic rays in data from other facilities, we find support for the reality of the ANITA events, and three candidate analog events, among the Extremely High Energy Northern Track neutrinos of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. Properties of the implied BSM particle are anticipated, at least in part, by those predicted for the “stau” slepton (τ̃ R) in some supersymmetric models of the fundamental interactions, wherein the stau manifests as the next-to-lowest mass supersymmetric partner particle.

33 thoughts on “Possible detection of new particles with new physics in Antarctic”

  1. Strangelets and micro black holes don’t give off sterile neutrinos, even within the hypothetical constructs of their speculative existence (as they are undetected at present). So even if they exist, they’re not postulated to produce this signature. My point about BHs was that you posited them as an explanation to this “because they fit the SM”. As if the SM is 1. some kind of gold standard and 2. explains BHs. It’s neither. It’s universally accepted that the SM is lacking and incomplete, if not perhaps substantially flawed, as there are a half dozen or so known experimental deviations from predictions in the SM; and two, that BHs are not “explained by the SM”, because the SM specifically doesn’t play nice with gravitation. BHs are specifically something the SM says can’t exist.

  2. Strangelets and micro black holes don’t give off sterile neutrinos even within the hypothetical constructs of their speculative existence (as they are undetected at present). So even if they exist they’re not postulated to produce this signature.My point about BHs was that you posited them as an explanation to this because they fit the SM””. As if the SM is 1. some kind of gold standard and 2. explains BHs. It’s neither. It’s universally accepted that the SM is lacking and incomplete”” if not perhaps substantially flawed as there are a half dozen or so known experimental deviations from predictions in the SM; and two”” that BHs are not “”””explained by the SM”””””””” because the SM specifically doesn’t play nice with gravitation. BHs are specifically something the SM says can’t exist.”””

  3. Black holes are definitely a thing, and “quantum” black holes are just black holes that are small enough to be evaporating at a significant pace. For quark nuggets I was referring to “strangelets”, basically the quark version of neutronium.

  4. Black holes are definitely a thing and quantum”” black holes are just black holes that are small enough to be evaporating at a significant pace.For quark nuggets I was referring to “”””strangelets”””””””” basically the quark version of neutronium.”””

  5. Strangelets and micro black holes don’t give off sterile neutrinos, even within the hypothetical constructs of their speculative existence (as they are undetected at present). So even if they exist, they’re not postulated to produce this signature.

    My point about BHs was that you posited them as an explanation to this “because they fit the SM”. As if the SM is 1. some kind of gold standard and 2. explains BHs. It’s neither. It’s universally accepted that the SM is lacking and incomplete, if not perhaps substantially flawed, as there are a half dozen or so known experimental deviations from predictions in the SM; and two, that BHs are not “explained by the SM”, because the SM specifically doesn’t play nice with gravitation. BHs are specifically something the SM says can’t exist.

  6. I can’t be the only one who looked at that picture and imagined a crazy antarctic scientist ice version of the flamethrower guitarist in Mad Max: Fury Road?

  7. I can’t be the only one who looked at that picture and imagined a crazy antarctic scientist ice version of the flamethrower guitarist in Mad Max: Fury Road?

  8. Which is more exotic? A particle that can’t exist according to the highly verified Standard Model, or a particle originating from an unusual object that model says could exist?

  9. Which is more exotic? A particle that can’t exist according to the highly verified Standard Model or a particle originating from an unusual object that model says could exist?

  10. Black holes are definitely a thing, and “quantum” black holes are just black holes that are small enough to be evaporating at a significant pace.

    For quark nuggets I was referring to “strangelets”, basically the quark version of neutronium.

  11. I wonder if the radio wave signal is from a cosmic ray passing UNDER the balloon from the side before interacting with the atmosphere and generating a signal that appears to be coming from the Earth.

  12. I wonder if the radio wave signal is from a cosmic ray passing UNDER the balloon from the side before interacting with the atmosphere and generating a signal that appears to be coming from the Earth.

  13. You don’t have to assume, though, that just because a shower emerges from the Earth, that a particle passed all the way through. A possible alternative explanation would be something exotic lurking inside the Earth, like a quark nugget, or a quantum black hole.

  14. You don’t have to assume though that just because a shower emerges from the Earth that a particle passed all the way through. A possible alternative explanation would be something exotic lurking inside the Earth like a quark nugget or a quantum black hole.

  15. I can’t be the only one who looked at that picture and imagined a crazy antarctic scientist ice version of the flamethrower guitarist in Mad Max: Fury Road?

  16. Which is more exotic? A particle that can’t exist according to the highly verified Standard Model, or a particle originating from an unusual object that model says could exist?

  17. I will add ‘EeV scale cosmic ray showers erupting from the ground into my rear end as I sit at a desk all day’ to my list of useless unlikely fears.

  18. I will add ‘EeV scale cosmic ray showers erupting from the ground into my rear end as I sit at a desk all day’ to my list of useless unlikely fears.

  19. I wonder if the radio wave signal is from a cosmic ray passing UNDER the balloon from the side before interacting with the atmosphere and generating a signal that appears to be coming from the Earth.

  20. You don’t have to assume, though, that just because a shower emerges from the Earth, that a particle passed all the way through. A possible alternative explanation would be something exotic lurking inside the Earth, like a quark nugget, or a quantum black hole.

  21. I will add ‘EeV scale cosmic ray showers erupting from the ground into my rear end as I sit at a desk all day’ to my list of useless unlikely fears.

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