Scientists use cosmic rays to create underground GPS

Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery, revealing the potential for an underground navigation system using cosmic rays. 

The research, published in the journal iScience, highlights that showers of particles, formed when cosmic rays collide with Earth's atmosphere, could enable effective underground positioning.

The subatomic particles, known as muons, which originate from distant space objects like supernovas or particle collisions with the sun, can penetrate the ground and are deemed harmless. 

By harnessing these muons, scientists have developed a novel positioning system called the muometric positioning system (muPS), which works underground, indoors, and even underwater.

Muon-based navigation holds great potential for various applications where GPS is ineffective, such as mining and deep-sea exploration. 

The concept draws inspiration from the use of similar particles in ancient Egyptian pyramids for navigation purposes.

The muPS system employs four muon-detecting reference stations placed above ground, along with a receiver either carried by an individual or located underground. 

As muons shower down, they pass through the reference detectors before reaching the receiver. 

By measuring the time lag between the reference detectors and the receiver, trilateration is performed to determine the receiver's coordinates. In the initial wired version of the system, measurements were taken to reconstruct the person's route through basement corridors. However, the team has now developed a wireless version called the muometric wireless navigation system (MuWNS).

The MuWNS relies on synchronized, precision quartz clocks connecting the reference detectors and the receiver. 

In a demonstration, one reference detector was placed on the sixth floor of a building while a person with the receiver moved about in the basement. 

Although real-time tracking was not achieved, the measurements allowed for the accurate reconstruction of the person's route. 

The current accuracy of MuWNS ranges from 2 to 25 meters (6.5 to 82 feet) with a range of up to 100 meters, depending on the person's speed and the depth of the location. 

This performance rivals or surpasses single-point GPS positioning in urban areas.

While further improvements are required, researchers believe that with enhanced time synchronization, MuWNS can be adapted for applications like autonomous mobile robot navigation and positioning, opening up practical possibilities for underground and underwater exploration.

This innovative approach leveraging cosmic rays offers an exciting glimpse into the future of navigation systems, enabling accurate positioning in environments where traditional GPS signals face limitations.