Observation of an ultra-high-energy cosmic neutrino with KM3NeT
The muon neutrino detected by KM3NeT has an estimated energy of 220 PeV. Credit: KM3NeT
The KM3NeT Collaboration announces the detection from the abyss of the Mediterranean Sea of a cosmic neutrino with a record-breaking energy of about 220 PeV
An extraordinary event consistent with a neutrino with an estimated energy of about 220 PeV , was detected on February 13, 2023, by the ARCA detector of the kilometre cubic neutrino telescope (KM3NeT) in the deep sea. This event, named KM3-230213A, is the most energetic neutrino ever observed and provides the first evidence that neutrinos of such high energies are produced in the Universe. After long and meticulous work to analyse and interpret the experimental data, today, February 12, 2025, the international scientific collaboration of KM3NeT reports the details of this amazing discovery in an article published in Nature.
The detected event was identified as a single muon which crossed the entire detector, inducing signals in more than one third of the active sensors. The inclination of its trajectory combined with its enormous energy provides compelling evidence that the muon originated from a cosmic neutrino interacting in the vicinity of the detector.
More information
- KM3NeT website: https://www.km3net.org/observation-of-an-ultra-high-energy-cosmic-neutrino-with-km3net/
- Nature publication: “Observation of an ultra-high-energy cosmic neutrino with KM3NeT”
- Companion papers published on arXiv:
- The ultra-high-energy event KM3-230213A within the global neutrino landscape
- On the potential cosmogenic origin of the ultra-high-energy event KM3-230213A
- Characterising Candidate Blazar Counterparts of the Ultra-High-Energy Event KM3-230213A
- On the Potential Galactic Origin of the Ultra-High-Energy Event KM3-230213A