The work, by a team of 58 physicists, indicates a profound and likely abiding change in particle physics. They went on to develop a groundbreaking new idea, as lasers capable of generating intense beams of neutrinos. And Joseph Formaggio and Ben Jones brought the coolest idea of future proposal to increase neutrino production using quantum coherence. This discovery would pave the way for revolutionary new dual communication and threat detection technologies.
Their proposal capitalizes on some impressive new tricks being developed with BECs. It is these incredible states of matter that emerge when a cloud of atoms is brought to temperatures hovering just above absolute zero. By exploiting superradiance—a phenomenon in which light-emitting atoms synchronize their emissions—Formaggio and Jones have outlined a theoretical framework for generating neutrinos more efficiently than ever before.
The Concept Behind Neutrino Lasers
Formaggio and Jones individually pondered how to increase the output of neutrinos, one of the most mysterious particles in the universe. Foster’s and Aggarwal’s discussions brought them around to the concept that a superradiant effect could be realized within a radioactive Bose-Einstein condensate.
Jones elaborated on this concept, stating, “In our concept for a neutrino laser, the neutrinos would be emitted at a much faster rate than they normally would, sort of like a laser emits photons very fast.”
The team calculated that by trapping around one million atoms of rubidium-83—an isotope with a half-life of about 82 days—they could create the conditions necessary for this advanced neutrino production.
Formaggio emphasized the novelty of their approach: “This is a novel way to accelerate radioactive decay and the production of neutrinos, which to my knowledge, has never been done.”
Exploring Bose-Einstein Condensates
Bose-Einstein condensates are an interesting type of matter that occurs at temperatures just above absolute zero. In such a state, particles like rubidium-83 lose their unique identities and act as one quantum-mechanical entity. This unusual property is essential to obtain synchronization between atomic emissions.
The physicists hope to cool rubidium-83 to near absolute zero temperatures. They argue that this will create a specific quantum state that enhances the rate of radioactive decay. Formaggio noted, “The outcome is: You get a lot more photons more quickly, and when you apply the same rules to something that gives you neutrinos, it will give you a whole bunch more neutrinos more quickly.”
Building a neutrino laser would be extremely difficult. The short half-life of most radioisotopes can dampen the cooling critical to forming any BEC. The team is excited about their research prospects.
Potential Applications of Neutrino Lasers
If it succeeds, the neutrino laser will advance other cutting-edge communication technologies. One reason neutrinos are so valuable is that they can travel through matter with almost no interaction. This unique property makes them ideal for carrying information deep into the Earth without degradation.
Formaggio speculated about the broader implications of their work: “If it turns out that we can show it in the lab, then people can think about: Can we use this as a neutrino detector? Or a new form of communication?”
The potential applications go far beyond new ways to communicate. Neutrinos would bring answers to our most fundamental questions about the universe. An enormous fraction of neutrinos almost certainly came into existence in the Big Bang. Today they live on in what we refer to as the cosmic neutrino background.
The researchers are exploring ultracold tritium—a radioactive isotope of hydrogen—as another possible candidate for producing neutrinos in this manner. By cooling tritium to the point that it forms a Bose-Einstein condensate, they are hoping to further improve the process of producing neutrinos.
The Road Ahead
As beautiful as this vision sounds, there are huge obstacles left to overcome. The trick, then, is making it safe for these radioactive isotopes to cool down. This must occur prior to their complete degradation into BECs. Formaggio admitted that challenge, but expressed optimism for the years ahead.
He explained, > “Then it should start doing this superradiance spontaneously.”
As studies continue, Formaggio and Jones would like to see their ideas tested in the lab. If their experiments are successful, it might open the door for new technologies that take advantage of the rare and mysterious properties of neutrinos.