Scientists detecting cosmic radio waves using balloons over Antarctica have stumbled upon mysterious signals that appear to originate deep within the ice. The Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) experiment, launched by NASA, has recorded unusual signals at “really steep angles” beneath the surface of the ice.
These findings contradict current models of particle physics, which suggest that radio pulses should be absorbed by solid rock and not detectable. However, ANITA’s signals seem to have traveled up through 6,000 kilometers of rock to reach the detector.
Researchers are baffled by these anomalies and have ruled out explanations involving neutrinos, elusive particles with no charge. The team, led by Penn State associate professor Stephanie Wissel, is analyzing data from multiple ANITA flights and comparing it to simulations of cosmic rays and air showers.
Wissel’s team is now designing a new detector called Payload for Ultrahigh Energy Observation (PUEO) to better detect neutrino signals. While they have not found an explanation for the anomalies, Wissel remains optimistic that PUEO will reveal more information.
“It’s one of these long-standing mysteries,” she said. “I’m excited that when we fly PUEO, we’ll have better sensitivity and maybe finally understand what these anomalies are.”
Source: https://gizmodo.com/scientists-in-antarctica-detect-deep-earth-signals-that-defy-known-physics-2000616356