SCIENCE
Neutrino that could be most energetic detected by underwater observatory
ARCA has been collecting data since the mid-2010s.
Updated: Jun 23, 2024 12:59 PM EST
Amal Jos Chacko
Neutrinos are elusive subatomic entities that rarely interact with matter. (Representative image) - NASA
An under-construction observatory at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea has detected what could be the most energetic neutrino ever recorded.
Speaking at the Neutrino 2024 conference in Milan, Italy, physicist João Coelho revealed the discovery, describing it as a standout observation, “very far away from anything else.”
Often called “ghost particles,” neutrinos are elusive subatomic entities that rarely interact with matter. They are produced by some of the most energetic events in the universe, such as supermassive black holes in distant galaxies.
The precise direction and time of the discovery remain undisclosed to prevent tipping off competitors about the potential origin of the neutrino.
A deep-sea marvel
The Astroparticle Research with Cosmics in the Abyss (ARCA) observatory, a collaborative effort involving multiple countries including European nations, Morocco, South Africa, Australia, Georgia, China, and the United Arab Emirates, made the discovery.
Situated on the 3,500-meter-deep sea floor southeast of Sicily, ARCA has been collecting data since the mid-2010s. Currently, it operates with 28 strings of detectors, each beaded with 18 plexiglass spheres containing light detectors. ARCA intends to expand these strings to a total of 230 by 2028.
The majority of the light detected by ARCA comes from highly energetic cosmic-ray particles. These particles produce showers of electrically charged subatomic particles when they hit Earth’s atmosphere that travel through water for kilometers. The particle showers leave behind faint flashes of light which ARCA spots.
Additionally, the observatory detects light from neutrinos indirectly. Sometimes, when a neutrino hits a molecule of air, water, or rock, it creates a charged particle called a muon, which produces a shower of other charged particles.
Unlike cosmic rays which produce showers that come from the atmosphere, neutrinos create showers that can come from any direction as they can travel through Earth.
The path forward
ARCA’s discovery is especially significant, as observations of a similar magnitude were previously only achieved by the much larger IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica. “It’s like winning the big lottery,” IceCube’s principal investigator Francis Halzen remarked.
João Coelho reported that over a third of ARCA’s sensors recorded flashes consistent with a muon crossing the observatory horizontally. The researchers attribute these to a neutrino arriving from around one degree below the horizon. This neutrino is estimated to have an energy of many tens of petaelectronvolts, which potentially makes it the most energetic neutrino ever detected.
As the hunt for these elusive particles continues, several more observatories are under construction or proposed. Nature reported that Naoko Kurahashi Neilson, a neutrino researcher at Drexel University in Philadelphia, highlighted plans for new observatories in a separate talk.
These developments signal the start of a new era in neutrino astronomy. As smaller, distributed arrays of detectors complete construction and pitch in with data, we will unravel the secrets of these high-energy neutrinos and gain deeper insights into our cosmos.
First pill for postpartum depression is now out, turns to be effective
This medical condition is extreme sadness, anxiety or despair, and can affect up to 1 in 5 women
Updated:May 26, 2024 02:12 PM EST
Psychiatrists have started writing prescriptions for Zuranolone, which is the first pill that will cure postpartum depression.
Postpartum depression is almost becoming an everyday affair for mothers, especially those in their 40s. What usually follows this medical condition is extreme sadness, anxiety or despair, and can affect up to 1 in 5 women.
There have been cases where many women have been stuck in a haze at five months postpartum. Dr. Misty Richards, medical director of perinatal psychiatry at the Maternal Outpatient Mental Health Services Clinic at UCLA Health, treated a similar patient and shared her experience with media firms.
“She wasn’t taking showers. She wasn’t eating,” Richards said. She also mentioned that the woman’s husband had taken a leave of absence from work to care for his wife and new baby.
The doctor has treated many such patients and what they do is they mostly connect these patients to an intensive outbound program, but some patients are still actively suicidal.
Postpartum depression: A serious affair
From the look of it might not seem to be serious, however, postpartum depression is quite real and can have disastrous consequences. And, especially ones that affect the mother and child quite derogatorily.
In the case of mothers, it might increase the risk of suicide, high blood pressure, diabetes or stroke. Some of the other ailments include mental illness, suicide, and drug overdoses.
Also, infants who are born to mothers having postpartum depression are more likely to possess developmental delays and emotional or behavioral problems and also have a high risk of dying before they turn 2.
After years of research researchers came up with Zuranolone which is the first-ever pill to help cure postpartum depression. The pill was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in August, however, it had taken many months for it to be supplied.
As per reports, different psychiatrists are starting to write their first prescriptions. The delay was because there was a shortage of good candidates who would be willing to take the test.
Before the advent of Zuranolone the treatment which was mostly available was an intravenous injection which was approved in 2019. However, the injection comes with a risk of heavy sedation and sudden loss of consciousness. This is why there were only a handful of centers which were permitted to utilise it.
How are patients coping with Zuranolone?
Some doctors had been trailing their patients and kept them on a 14-day course. Some patients have shown improvements from their fourth day.
They revealed that there were some patients who showed signs of drowsiness at night, however, they were fine by the morning. Then there were other patients who experienced chronic depression before their pregnancy, which became worse after delivery.
While other medicines failed to treat her, it was only Zuranolone which came to her rescue. The patients using this medicine also have been praising it. However, whether or not Zuranolone will have a lasting effect is not known to people till date.
US signs BAE to build one of the world’s most advanced jammers for jets
MILITARY
Artist's impression of BAE Systems' Dual Band Decoy in use.
The US Navy has selected BAE Systems to develop Dual Band Decoy (DBD) – a radio frequency (RF) self-protection jammer meant to shield fighter jets from enemies.
The RF self-protection jammer is aimed at adding an extra layer of security to the US Navy jets. It provides cutting-edge jamming technology which can disrupt enemy radars and lure missiles away from the aircraft.
One of the key benefits is that apart from being launched by pilots in the aircraft, the system can also deploy automatically in response to threats. This feature will give aircraft an extra edge in hotly contested airspaces.
BAE Systems and DBD development
BAE Systems intends to use the combat-proven AN/ALE-55 Fiber Optic Towed Decoy (FOTD) for the DBD.
DBD will consist of a towed unit which is connected by a fiber optic cable to electronic warfare equipment on the aircraft.
The AN/ALE-55 fiber optic towed decoy also works on the same principle. It jams signals with a high-powered response from off-board the aircraft at the end of the towline.
It guides missiles safely away from the aircraft to the towed decoy. Moreover, it also uses the aircraft’s onboard electronic warfare system to use a variety of countermeasure techniques to suppress, deflect, and seduce pulsed and continuous wave RF threats.
The aircraft system can use the FOTD to emit jamming techniques that suppress the enemy radar’s ability to acquire and track the target.
Further, if the enemy radar achieves target tracking it can use deception as well. FOTD can determine optimum jamming techniques to break the track on the aircraft. It can also use multiple transmissions to take care of more than one radar.
As a last measure, the FOTD can lure the missile away from the aircraft and itself become a target if an RF missile has been launched at the plane by the enemy. It also possesses the ability to break the missile’s track of the aircraft.
DBD’s components and benefits
According to BAE Systems’ press release, DBD uses the company’s “custom integrated circuits, enabling higher performance and more capability with reduced size, weight, and power.”
The company also said that the DBD will initially be fielded on the US Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft.
The work on DBD will be performed at BAE Systems’ state-of-the-art facilities in Nashua.
“With Dual Band Decoy, we are building on the ALE-55’s years of mission success as a high-powered jamming system,” said Don Davidson, director of the Advanced Compact Electronic Warfare Solutions product line at BAE Systems. “Dual Band Decoy delivers broad capability that can be installed on a variety of aircraft and is upgradeable to address future threats.”