Mysterious particle pierces earth, hinting at possible first direct dark matter detection
In February 2023, an underwater telescope anchored deep in the Mediterranean Sea—known as KM3NeT—recorded the brightest particle event ever seen. A stunning flash of light pierced through the detector's sensor network, revealing an object carrying a staggering 220 peta-electronvolts (PeV) of energy—nearly 100 times more powerful than anything produced by the Large Hadron Collider.
Initially believed to be an ultra-energetic neutrino, this high-energy particle earned the nickname 'impossible muon' because of how unusually bright it was—35 times brighter than any prior detection. But soon, scientists hit a snag: its cousin observatory, IceCube in Antarctica—larger and operational for over a decade—had no record of a similar event, even though it had clear access to the same region of the sky.
This anomaly led researchers to entertain a revolutionary idea: the flash could be humanity's first direct evidence of dark matter—the mysterious, invisible material believed to make up five times more mass than ordinary matter in the universe.
Their theory suggests that the particle may have originated from a blazar—a galaxy with a supermassive black hole ejecting high-speed jets of particles. If those jets contain dark matter particles, they could survive billion-year journeys through space. The particle that struck KM3NeT came from a direction populated by known blazars, lending weight to the hypothesis.
As the beam traveled sideways through Earth, it pierced 93 miles (150 km) of rock before reaching KM3NeT. Scientists theorize that during this underground trek, a dark matter particle might have collided with a nucleus, briefly becoming an 'excited' state that quickly decayed into two tightly aligned muons. KM3NeT's detectors, unable to distinguish the twin paths, saw a single blazing track.
In contrast, IceCube—due to its South Pole location—would have seen the particle pass through only 9 miles (15 km) of crust. With less matter in its path, a collision (and thus detection) was far less likely.
Not all physicists are convinced. Some argue the simplest explanation is still a record-breaking neutrino. Others, like Shirley Li of UC Irvine, note that while the dark matter model predicts a pair of overlapping muons, current instruments can't resolve such fine detail at these extreme energies—yet.
Regardless of the outcome, the discovery has reignited the global pursuit to uncover what dark matter is made of. As KM3NeT expands and IceCube undergoes planned upgrades, scientists will continue watching the skies—and seas—for answers.
Whether this was a neutrino anomaly or the long-sought dark matter breakthrough, one underwater flash may have just opened a new chapter in modern physics.
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Hans India
2 days ago
- Hans India
Mysterious particle pierces earth, hinting at possible first direct dark matter detection
In February 2023, an underwater telescope anchored deep in the Mediterranean Sea—known as KM3NeT—recorded the brightest particle event ever seen. A stunning flash of light pierced through the detector's sensor network, revealing an object carrying a staggering 220 peta-electronvolts (PeV) of energy—nearly 100 times more powerful than anything produced by the Large Hadron Collider. Initially believed to be an ultra-energetic neutrino, this high-energy particle earned the nickname 'impossible muon' because of how unusually bright it was—35 times brighter than any prior detection. But soon, scientists hit a snag: its cousin observatory, IceCube in Antarctica—larger and operational for over a decade—had no record of a similar event, even though it had clear access to the same region of the sky. This anomaly led researchers to entertain a revolutionary idea: the flash could be humanity's first direct evidence of dark matter—the mysterious, invisible material believed to make up five times more mass than ordinary matter in the universe. Their theory suggests that the particle may have originated from a blazar—a galaxy with a supermassive black hole ejecting high-speed jets of particles. If those jets contain dark matter particles, they could survive billion-year journeys through space. The particle that struck KM3NeT came from a direction populated by known blazars, lending weight to the hypothesis. As the beam traveled sideways through Earth, it pierced 93 miles (150 km) of rock before reaching KM3NeT. Scientists theorize that during this underground trek, a dark matter particle might have collided with a nucleus, briefly becoming an 'excited' state that quickly decayed into two tightly aligned muons. KM3NeT's detectors, unable to distinguish the twin paths, saw a single blazing track. In contrast, IceCube—due to its South Pole location—would have seen the particle pass through only 9 miles (15 km) of crust. With less matter in its path, a collision (and thus detection) was far less likely. Not all physicists are convinced. Some argue the simplest explanation is still a record-breaking neutrino. Others, like Shirley Li of UC Irvine, note that while the dark matter model predicts a pair of overlapping muons, current instruments can't resolve such fine detail at these extreme energies—yet. Regardless of the outcome, the discovery has reignited the global pursuit to uncover what dark matter is made of. As KM3NeT expands and IceCube undergoes planned upgrades, scientists will continue watching the skies—and seas—for answers. Whether this was a neutrino anomaly or the long-sought dark matter breakthrough, one underwater flash may have just opened a new chapter in modern physics.
The Print
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How CERN's collider achieved modern alchemy—turning lead to gold in a trillionth of a gram
'It is impressive to see that our detectors can handle head-on collisions producing thousands of particles, while also being sensitive to collisions where only a few particles are produced at a time, enabling the study of electromagnetic 'nuclear transmutation' processes,' said Marco Van Leeuwen, ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) spokesperson, in a statement. Scientists observed a real-life transmutation of lead into gold through a new mechanism involving near-miss interactions between atomic nuclei. But each of these gold particles is the size of a nucleus, and lasted barely a second before being destroyed in the collider. During the LHC's second run between 2015 and 2018, around 86 billion gold nuclei were created from smashing lead atoms at 99.999993 percent the speed of light. New Delhi: CERN's announcement on May 8 that its Large Hadron Collider (LHC) can turn lead to gold was the Holy Grail for alchemists from the middle ages. This is the biggest discovery since the 'god particle' (Higgs Boson) and the 'beauty particle' (bottom quark). ThePrint explains the science behind the magic. Also Read: Search for an Indian Carl Sagan is on. Science influencers are being trained in labs and likes How it was done CERN caught the gold bug back as a side quest nearly two decades ago while working on the fundamental particles (smallest known building blocks of the universe) and forces (four forces of nature responsible for how matter behaves), when it started running the LHC. During the second run, the LHC produced 29 picograms of gold. A picogram is one trillionth of a gram. In the third run, which has been operational since 2022, the amount produced was almost double that of the second run but trillions of times less than what would be required to make a piece of jewellery. The third run, which will continue till 2026, has higher collision energy compared to its second run, improved detector performance, and collected more data. The detector's zero degree calorimeters (ZDCs) counted photon–nucleus interactions that led to the emission of zero, one, two or three protons, along with at least one neutron. ZDCs—which are specialised calorimeters used to detect and measure very small particles or radiation—are associated with the production of lead, thallium, mercury and gold. 'While less frequent than the creation of thallium or mercury, the results show that the LHC currently produces gold at a maximum rate of about 89,000 nuclei per second from lead–lead collisions at the ALICE collision point,' the CERN statement read. A flash of gold The gold nuclei emerged from the collision with very high energy and hit the LHC beam pipe or collimators (devices that shape or direct beams of light or radiation to narrow them or limit their speed) at various points downstream, where they immediately fragment into single protons, neutrons and other particles. In this form, the gold exists for just a tiny fraction of a second. 'Thanks to the unique capabilities of the ALICE ZDCs, the present analysis is the first to systematically detect and analyse the signature of gold production at the LHC experimentally,' said Uliana Dmitrieva of the ALICE collaboration in a statement. The biggest discovery that came from LHC was the Higgs Boson in 2012. The discovery provided evidence of how particles gain mass, proving the existence of the Higgs Field, which is key to the Standard Model of particle physics. However, in recent years, scientists have questioned the lack of any big discovery from the LHC. Also Read: 47 yrs ago, this Indian-origin physicist asked Feynman a question. He hasn't looked back since
Economic Times
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300 years after alchemy failed, CERN scientists finally turn lead into gold
Centuries after alchemists sought transmutation, CERN scientists have turned lead into gold using the Large Hadron Collider. By colliding lead ions at near-light speed, they briefly created gold atoms, demonstrating nuclear stability limits. While the amount was minuscule and fleeting, this achievement fulfills an ancient dream through modern physics, furthering our understanding of matter's fundamental processes. Researchers involved in the ALICE experiment at CERN announced that they had successfully transformed lead nuclei into gold through high-speed, near-miss collisions of lead ions. (Image: The ALICE Time Projection Chamber, CERN) Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs Can I make gold from lead? How is gold made? How to make pure gold? How do scientists create gold? In the early 1700s, the King of Poland, August the Strong, locked a young alchemist in a laboratory with one simple command: make gold. The alchemist, Johann Friedrich Böttger, tried every trick in the book — but failed. More than 300 years later, scientists at CERN have done what Böttger could not: they've turned lead into gold , for a very brief scientific transmutation didn't happen in a smoky laboratory, but inside the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator: the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Researchers working on the ALICE experiment at CERN announced they had successfully transformed lead nuclei into gold during high-speed, near-miss collisions of lead lead ions race around the LHC at nearly the speed of light, they occasionally graze past each other without crashing head-on. The powerful electromagnetic fields around these ions interact intensely. In rare cases, this causes a lead nucleus to emit three protons, which briefly changes it into a gold nucleus — the isotope gold-197 Between 2015 and 2018, CERN's detectors recorded around 86 billion gold atoms created this way. But these atoms existed for just microseconds before decaying or transforming into something else. The amount of gold produced was vanishingly small — about 29 trillionths of a the poetic value, such research helps physicists explore the limits of nuclear stability and the processes that shape matter in extreme cosmic environments, like neutron star than a quirky nod to medieval alchemy, this experiment shows how modern science can answer the mysteries that once baffled ancient thinkers. Böttger never made gold, but his failure led to the discovery of European porcelain. Now, centuries later, his dream has been realized — if only for a moment — not by magic, but by age of alchemy may be long gone, but we never knew what this discovery could lead CERN to in exploring the universe's building gold can be made from lead, but only through nuclear transmutation at facilities like CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Although this fulfills the ancient alchemists' dream, it is extremely inefficient, costly, and impractical for producing usable gold, which is used mainly for scientific research is formed primarily through cosmic processes like supernova nucleosynthesis, neutron star collisions, and magnetar flares, where intense heat and pressure create heavy elements via rapid neutron capture. On Earth, gold forms through hydrothermal processes, where hot mineral-rich fluids deposit gold in rock veins, and through placer deposits from erosion and gold is made by refining impure gold through chemical methods like aqua regia or electrolytic refining, which remove impurities to produce 24-karat gold with up to 99.99% create gold by changing the atomic structure of other elements, such as mercury, platinum, or lead, through nuclear reactions or high-energy particle collisions, like those in the Large Hadron Collider, which can transmute these elements into gold nuclei. However, the process is highly inefficient and mostly experimental.
