Milky Way: Icy observatory reveals 'ghost particles' 南極 “冰立方” 探測到銀河系中存在中微子

一臺埋在南極冰層中的探測器為人們瞭解銀河系提供瞭一個前所未有的視角。研究人員們用收集到的數據制作瞭一張模糊而美麗的銀河系圖像，但這張圖像其實是由 “幽靈粒子” 中微子組成的。

Neutrinos, or ‘ghost particles‘ as they’re known, are made when cosmic rays that are rattling around space at near light speed, smash into other matter. Astronomers say understanding where they come from is key to understanding the dynamics that shape the Milky Way.

中微子，又稱 “幽靈粒子”，是當宇宙射線以接近光速的速度穿過太空大氣層，撞擊其它物質時產生的粒子。天文學傢們表示，瞭解中微子的來源是瞭解導致銀河系形成的動力學過程的關鍵。

But these short-lived particles are very difficult to detect, so scientists and engineers created an observatory that turned a cubic kilometre of Antarctic ice into a neutrino finder.

然而這些轉瞬即逝的粒子很難被探測到，因此科學傢和工程師們創建瞭一個天文臺，將一立方公裡的南極冰變成瞭中微子探測器。

The IceCube detector, as it’s called, is made of thousands of sensors on long cables buried under the South Pole. Whenever a neutrino interacts with one of the billions of ice molecules, it captures that interaction and works out where that neutrino came from.

這個被稱作 “冰立方” 的探測器是由埋在南極下的長電纜上的數千個傳感器組成的。每當中微子與數十億個冰分子中的一個相互作用時，探測器就會捕捉到這種相互作用，並找出中微子的來源。

The detectors produced the first evidence of these ‘ghost particles’ in our home galaxy, which the researchers say gives them an entirely new window on what’s happening in the Milky Way.

探測器首次發現瞭在我們的銀河系中存在這些 “幽靈粒子” 的證據，研究人員們對此表示，這個發現為他們瞭解銀河系的奧秘打開瞭一扇窗。