Ghostly antineutrinos could help ferret out nuclear tests
But building detectors up to the task would be a huge undertaking
Rogue nations that want to hide nuclear weapons tests may one day be thwarted by antineutrinos.
Atomic blasts emit immense numbers of the lightweight subatomic particles, which can travel long distances through the Earth. In general, the particles — the antimatter twins of neutrinos — are notoriously difficult to spot. But a large antineutrino detector located within a few hundred kilometers of a powerful nuclear explosion could glimpse a handful of the particles, scientists report in the August Physical Review Applied.