Neutrinos from the early universe have never been detected directly but a device that uses the atom-thick material graphene might be able to change that
Detecting neutrinos could tell us about the early universe
Shutterstock / zorro 999
A particle detector made from extremely thin sheets of carbon may be able to spot never-before-seen neutrinos from the time of the big bang. If the design works, detecting these so-called ultra-low energy neutrinos could help us better understand the first moments of the universe.
Detecting any neutrinos is challenging because they normally move through matter without affecting it – trillions of them are passing through you right now. They are some of the most abundant particles, but they are nearly massless …
Article amended on 16 May 2022
We have corrected the description of what happens when neutrinos enter the detector.
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