Strange Radio Pulses Detected Coming From Ice In Antarctica (phys.org) 40
alternative_right shares a report from Phys.Org: A cosmic particle detector in Antarctica has emitted a series of bizarre signals that defy the current understanding of particle physics, according to an international research group that includes scientists from Penn State. The unusual radio pulses were detected by the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) experiment, a range of instruments flown on balloons high above Antarctica that are designed to detect radio waves from cosmic rays hitting the atmosphere.
The goal of the experiment is to gain insight into distant cosmic events by analyzing signals that reach the Earth. Rather than reflecting off the ice, the signals -- a form of radio waves -- appeared to be coming from below the horizon, an orientation that cannot be explained by the current understanding of particle physics and may hint at new types of particles or interactions previously unknown to science, the team said. The researchers published their results in the journal Physical Review Letters.
"The radio waves that we detected were at really steep angles, like 30 degrees below the surface of the ice," said Stephanie Wissel, associate professor of physics, astronomy and astrophysics who worked on the ANITA team searching for signals from elusive particles called neutrinos. She explained that by their calculations, the anomalous signal had to pass through and interact with thousands of kilometers of rock before reaching the detector, which should have left the radio signal undetectable because it would have been absorbed into the rock. "It's an interesting problem because we still don't actually have an explanation for what those anomalies are, but what we do know is that they're most likely not representing neutrinos," Wissel said.
The goal of the experiment is to gain insight into distant cosmic events by analyzing signals that reach the Earth. Rather than reflecting off the ice, the signals -- a form of radio waves -- appeared to be coming from below the horizon, an orientation that cannot be explained by the current understanding of particle physics and may hint at new types of particles or interactions previously unknown to science, the team said. The researchers published their results in the journal Physical Review Letters.
"The radio waves that we detected were at really steep angles, like 30 degrees below the surface of the ice," said Stephanie Wissel, associate professor of physics, astronomy and astrophysics who worked on the ANITA team searching for signals from elusive particles called neutrinos. She explained that by their calculations, the anomalous signal had to pass through and interact with thousands of kilometers of rock before reaching the detector, which should have left the radio signal undetectable because it would have been absorbed into the rock. "It's an interesting problem because we still don't actually have an explanation for what those anomalies are, but what we do know is that they're most likely not representing neutrinos," Wissel said.
Re: (Score:2)
Yup. They covered this in the X-files movie.
Re:Alien spaceship (Score:5, Insightful)
And previously in 1982 for that documentary with Kurt Russell.
Re: (Score:1)
Re:Alien spaceship (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Or the secret Nazi base.
Antarxtica may be a really hostile environment for building military infrastructure, but with enough Qatari money it's doable.
StarGate (Score:5, Funny)
It's the DHD from the second StarGate - buried under the ice.
If they look at where recent Antarctic seismic events are strongest - they can more accurately determine the location.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:StarGate (Score:5, Funny)
That's the best explanation so far. If someone tried to dial in and the gate's buried it would certainly match the signals observed. No doubt here.
Re: (Score:2)
Can also be the ancient outpost, hidden below the ice, someone sit on the chain and activated the zero point module (ZPM)
quick, check the deep space, is there a big fleet of alien spaceships incoming?!
We come in peace and other cryptic messages (Score:2)
We were aiming for the moon. Navigator went metric on us. Too late for him now. SEATAC maybe Coast Guard. No guns, me. No guns, you.
Very strange (Score:5, Informative)
Yes, it is quite strange to have a cosmic particle detector emit a series of bizarre signals. Maybe the detector wasn't shielded properly? Or maybe someone doesn't know how to write correct English. But don't blame the story submitter, who simply cut and paste from the quoted story at phys.org [phys.org].
Godzilla Minus Two: (Score:2)
Easy explanation (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
You forgot 'Deception Point' by Dan Brown.
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maybe (Score:2)
its the earth telling us we don't have enough copper wires
Alien hackers (Score:2)
Intercepting our detectors
HP Lovecraft was prescient (Score:5, Informative)
It's all fun and games until a Shoggoth gets ya.
From the really obscure stuff department.
Re: (Score:2)
Some comparisons with "The Thing" are also pretty hard to ignore.
Ia! Ia! (Score:4, Funny)
Who goes there? (Score:2)
Obv Megatron (Score:1)
2 possible explanations (Score:2)
Upside down (Score:2)
So after 3 years they will find out that the intern mounted the detector the wrong way around....
Re: Upside down (Score:1)
Why do you people blame ChatGPT for hallucinating while you can't even get an experiment set up right?
No biggie (Score:3)
I've seen this movie (Score:2)
It doesn't end well for the humans. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Re: (Score:3)
> It doesn't end well for the humans. https://en.wikipedia/ [en.wikipedia] /Alien_vs._Predator_(film)
Speaking from experience, especially the ones that paid for tickets
Re: (Score:2)
Oh I genuinely feel for anyone who paid to see this ass of a movie at the theatre.
Hell (Score:2)
Depends (Score:2)
On exactly what the detector is capable of detecting. If they're looking, at any point, for radio waves, then I'd start there. Do the radio waves correspond to the absorption (and therefore emission) band for any molecule or chemical bond that is likely to arise in the ice?
This is so basic that I'm thinking that if this was remotely plausible, they'd have already thought of it. This is too junior to miss. Ergo, the detector isn't looking for radio waves (which seems the most likely, given it's a particle de
Seriously? (Score:2)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik... [wikipedia.org]
You're flying an RF receiver 37 km above somewhere near the magnetic pole and you're surprised you're getting 30 MHz signals from all directions?
How about instead of a second stargate emitting from under the ice...something is just getting ducted under the ionosphere and popping up at your balloon. Same way you can hear 1 MHz and 10 MHz from far away at oddball times of night as the ionosphere rises and falls through the evening.
Re: Seriously? (Score:1)
Is that why I hear Oregon and California AM radio stations in the mountains of Wa state?
Triboelectric? (Score:2)
Captain America? (Score:2)
All this time, I though he crashed closer to the North Pole.
Follow-Up Mission next year if... (Score:1)