University of California Berkeley: New Data Release from CUORE Features a "Noise-Canceling" Algorithm

With the largest dataset of its kind, the Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events has put new limits on neutrinoless double beta decay – an extremely rare and sought-after process tied to one of the biggest mysteries in physics.

The coldest cubic meter in the universe is the Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events, or CUORE. This chilly nuclear physics experiment looks for tiny fluctuations in temperature from a never-before-seen process called "neutrinoless double beta decay," which could help explain why our universe is full of matter.

That extreme sensitivity means CUORE also records other activity, too: the sounds of scientists talking, the pulse of waves crashing on the shore 50 kilometers away, and earthquakes on the other side of the world.

CUORE is an international collaboration with more than 20 institutions. The experiment is led by the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Italy's National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN), and operated at INFN's Gran Sasso National Laboratory. CUORE's latest data release uses a new algorithm that better accounts for background noise, clearing distracting signals and making it easier for scientists to spot the rare process they're looking for.

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