Underground Physics Experiment Advances Search for Rare Particle Decay with Noise-Canceling Technology

Underground Physics Experiment Breaks New Ground

Deep beneath nearly a mile of rock in central Italy, physicists are conducting what sources describe as one of the most sensitive particle detection experiments ever attempted. The Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE), located in the Gran Sasso National Laboratory, has reportedly collected two ton-years of data in its quest to observe neutrinoless double beta decay—a phenomenon that could fundamentally alter our understanding of particle physics.

Underground Physics Experiment Breaks New Ground
The Elusive Particle Decay
Noise-Canceling on a Massive Scale
Advanced Detection Environment
Future Directions and Implications

The Elusive Particle Decay

According to reports, standard double beta decay is a well-established process where two neutrons in an atomic nucleus transform into two protons while emitting two electrons and two antineutrinos. However, analysts suggest that neutrinoless double beta decay would represent a revolutionary discovery, as it would demonstrate that neutrinos are their own antiparticles—a property known as Majorana particles.

The research team’s latest study, published in the journal Science, indicates they have established new limits on how frequently this theorized decay occurs in tellurium atoms. The report states the decay happens no more than once every 50 septillion years—equivalent to once every trillion trillion years.

Noise-Canceling on a Massive Scale

What sets this research apart, according to sources familiar with the experiment, is the implementation of sophisticated noise-canceling technology comparable to headphones but operating on a vastly larger scale. The team developed specialized algorithms to filter out extraneous vibrations including researchers’ conversations, ocean waves hitting the Italian coast, and seismic activity from earthquakes worldwide.

“The focus of this data release is understanding sources of external vibrations and learning how to subtract that from our data to better search for this extremely rare decay,” said Reina Maruyama, a professor of physics and astronomy at Yale and CUORE member, according to the research team’s statements.

Advanced Detection Environment

The laboratory’s unique location provides natural protection, but researchers have added additional shielding made from ancient Roman lead. Reports indicate the lead ingots were salvaged from a 2,000-year-old Roman shipwreck, providing low-radiation shielding crucial for the sensitive measurements.

Even with these protections, analysts suggest that vibrational noise still penetrated the detection environment, prompting the installation of more than two dozen sensors measuring temperature, sound, vibration, and electrical interference. Scientists reportedly matched sensor data with recorded measurements to distinguish genuine particle events from environmental “noise.”

Future Directions and Implications

The CUORE experiment, which began operations in 2017 under the leadership of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory with participation from over 20 research institutions including Yale, will continue data collection through this year. According to project documentation, its successor—the CUORE Upgrade with Particle Identification (CUPID)—will then assume the search using enhanced light sensors and different crystal materials.

Karsten Heeger, director of Yale’s Wright Laboratory and international spokesperson for the CUPID experiment, explained the significance: “Detecting neutrinoless double beta decay would reveal that neutrinos are their own antiparticles. This unique nature of neutrinos may explain the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe—the fact that there is more matter than antimatter. It would also violate a fundamental principle of the Standard Model of Particle Physics called the lepton number and provide unambiguous evidence for new physics.”

Yale researchers reportedly lead several aspects of both CUORE and CUPID, including low-energy analysis development and reduction of muon-induced backgrounds, contributing to what analysts suggest could be one of the most important particle physics discoveries of the century.