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Unexpected Radio Pulses Emerge From Antarctic Ice

Ruled out as neutrinos, these steeply angled pulses are set to be investigated by a more sensitive balloon-borne instrument

The ANITA Experiment prepares for launch.
A team is studying signals from Antarctic ice
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Overview

  • The ANITA experiment detected radio pulses at angles up to 30° below the horizon, implying an origin beneath the Antarctic ice sheet
  • Analysis published in Physical Review Letters confirms the signals do not match known particle interactions and are unlikely to be neutrinos
  • Independent checks with IceCube and the Pierre Auger Observatory found no comparable events, eliminating conventional explanations
  • The anomalous pulses contradict standard models predicting that rock and ice would absorb signals after thousands of kilometers of travel
  • The successor mission, PUEO, is in development with enhanced sensitivity to probe and potentially identify the source of the unexplained signals