Capturing the ghost particles that pass through your body every second

Space · Published 31 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: About a hundred million neutrinos stream through your thumbnail every single second. These elusive particles are so ghostly they almost never interact with matter, making them nearly impossible to see. Yet, by using the sheer power of particle accelerators, scientists can create dense beams to study the universe's deepest mysteries.

Neutrinos are among the most abundant particles in the universe, surpassed only by photons. They are produced by a wide variety of sources, including nuclear reactions in the sun, the earth's core, and even radioactive potassium in bananas. Because they carry no charge, they are immune to the magnetic fields used in particle accelerators to steer other particles. This lack of interaction makes them notoriously difficult to detect; on average, only one neutrino will strike an atom in your body during your entire lifetime. They interact with matter almost exclusively through the weak force. These particles are also found in nuclear reactors and deep within the earth's center.

To study these 'ghost' particles, scientists must manufacture them intentionally. They do this by using particle accelerators to propel protons at extreme speeds. When these high-energy protons collide with a target material, they trigger nuclear reactions that generate intense beams of neutrinos. This process allows researchers like Kirsty Duffy to create controlled environments where these nearly invisible particles can be observed and measured. Fermilab teams utilize this method to generate these concentrated streams for specific experiments. This technique overcomes the fact that magnets cannot manipulate neutral neutrinos.

The study of neutrinos is not just a technical challenge; it is a fundamental quest to understand the origin of existence. Physicists are currently investigating why the universe exists at all, specifically looking for answers regarding the Big Bang. The prevailing theory suggests that equal amounts of matter and anti-matter were created during the universe's birth, yet we live in a world dominated by matter. Neutrinos provide a critical window into these early cosmic processes. Because they are so difficult to see when they do not interact, they remain one of the least understood particles in physics. Researchers hope these studies will eventually explain how everything fits together.

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