Scientists use neutrinos to detect high-energy cosmic ray sources at the centre of the Milky Way

Scientists have come up with a new way of studying the cosmos. They're doing it with the help of neutral fundamental particles called neutrinos.

Here's What We Know

Researchers are looking for ways to detect sources of the high-energy particles. The problem is that the charged particles change their trajectories significantly under the influence of magnetic fields. For that reason, scientists can't trace their path.

The way out could be the use of neutrinos, as these particles have little or no interaction with matter or magnetic fields. This is due to the ultralow mass, which is close to zero, and the absence of charge. Because of this, the particles travel in a straight line and scientists can trace their origin.

On their way to Earth, the neutrinos crash into cosmic dust and gas. The collision produces quark-antiquark pairs, which decay to create high-energy electron neutrinos. By tracking the trajectory, the sources of the high-energy particles can be detected.

Scientists have come up with a new method of analysis that has given a different perspective on the map of the Milky Way. It turns out there are sources of high-energy neutrinos at the centre of our galaxy. This process now needs to be studied.

Source: Science Alert