A group of scientists detected radio emissions with impossible trajectories under the ice. The signals were detected by the ANITA experiment and challenged current models.
They could be linked to very difficult-to-observe subatomic particles, although there is no consensus. The discovery reignites the debate about phenomena we still do not understand.
What did they find under the ice in Antarctica?
During an experiment with antennas on a balloon, the ANITA project recorded radio pulses coming from unexpected directions. They arrived from below the horizon, at angles close to 30 degrees under the ice.
This implies that they crossed through thousands of kilometers (thousands of miles) of solid rock, something current theories can't explain. According to calculations, they should have been attenuated before reaching the antenna.
Tau neutrinos: the possible culprits
The initial hypothesis pointed to tau neutrinos, particles that are almost impossible to detect and could generate signals as they pass through Earth. However, there are serious doubts about this.
If they had been neutrinos, the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina should have recorded similar events during the same period. But that did not happen.
