Well, a neutrino (denoted by the Greek letter ν ) is a "ghostly" elementary particle with some important properties...
- Zero electric charge
- Previously thought to have zero mass
- Travels near or at the speed of light
- Hardly interacts with matter at all, only via the WEAK FORCE (hence the "ghostly")
There are also three different neutrino types, or "FLAVORS" which each interact differently with matter.
- ELECTRON neutrinos: νe
- MUON neutrinos: νμ
- TAU neutrinos: ντ
Currently, neutrino mass has not been measured directly. Neutrino
physicists are trying to find out if neutrino flavors can change from
and into another ("oscillate"). Neutrino oscillation is possible only if
they have mass.
So... where do neutrinos come from?
Well,
they're everywhere! Neutrinos are the products of nuclear interactions,
ranging from radiation to cosmic rays to fusion. They fly right through
you, rarely ever interacting. In fact, more than 50 trillion electron
neutrinos from the sun are passing through the human body every second!
It's a good thing we can't feel them.
We can study neutrinos from various sources:
- The Sun
- The Atmosphere
- Supernovae
- Particle Accelerators
The neutrinos we will be focusing on the most in this activity will be
atmospheric neutrinos. You can read about the other types in the "Links"
section.
Neutrinos from the Atmosphere
High energy
neutrinos can be created through cosmic ray collisions with atoms in the
upper atmosphere. Because it is the neutrinos we want to detect (and
not cosmic rays), the best place to do this is deep underground, where
thick layers of rock shield from other cosmic rays.
One of
these detectors of neutrinos is Super-Kamiokande (or Super-K for short).
Super-K is is a huge cylindrical water Cherenkov neutrino detector.
Well, a neutrino (denoted by the Greek letter ν ) is a "ghostly" elementary particle with some important properties... - Zero electric charge
- Previously thought to have zero mass
- Travels near or at the speed of light
- Hardly interacts with matter at all, only via the WEAK FORCE (hence the "ghostly")
There are also three different neutrino types, or "FLAVORS" which each interact differently with matter.
- ELECTRON neutrinos: νe
- MUON neutrinos: νμ
- TAU neutrinos: ντ
Currently, neutrino mass has not been measured directly. Neutrino physicists are trying to find out if neutrino flavors can change from and into another ("oscillate"). Neutrino oscillation is possible only if they have mass.
So... where do neutrinos come from?
Well, they're everywhere! Neutrinos are the products of nuclear interactions, ranging from radiation to cosmic rays to fusion. They fly right through you, rarely ever interacting. In fact, more than 50 trillion electron neutrinos from the sun are passing through the human body every second! It's a good thing we can't feel them.
We can study neutrinos from various sources:
- The Sun
- The Atmosphere
- Supernovae
- Particle Accelerators
The neutrinos we will be focusing on the most in this activity will be atmospheric neutrinos. You can read about the other types in the "Links" section.
Neutrinos from the Atmosphere
High energy neutrinos can be created through cosmic ray collisions with atoms in the upper atmosphere. Because it is the neutrinos we want to detect (and not cosmic rays), the best place to do this is deep underground, where thick layers of rock shield from other cosmic rays.
One of these detectors of neutrinos is Super-Kamiokande (or Super-K for short). Super-K is is a huge cylindrical water Cherenkov neutrino detector.
- Travels near or at the speed of light
- Hardly interacts with matter at all, only via the WEAK FORCE (hence the "ghostly")
There are also three different neutrino types, or "FLAVORS" which each interact differently with matter.
- ELECTRON neutrinos: νe
- MUON neutrinos: νμ
- TAU neutrinos: ντ
Currently, neutrino mass has not been measured directly. Neutrino physicists are trying to find out if neutrino flavors can change from and into another ("oscillate"). Neutrino oscillation is possible only if they have mass.
So... where do neutrinos come from?
Well, they're everywhere! Neutrinos are the products of nuclear interactions, ranging from radiation to cosmic rays to fusion. They fly right through you, rarely ever interacting. In fact, more than 50 trillion electron neutrinos from the sun are passing through the human body every second! It's a good thing we can't feel them.
We can study neutrinos from various sources:
- The Sun
- The Atmosphere
- Supernovae
- Particle Accelerators
The neutrinos we will be focusing on the most in this activity will be atmospheric neutrinos. You can read about the other types in the "Links" section.
Neutrinos from the Atmosphere
High energy neutrinos can be created through cosmic ray collisions with atoms in the upper atmosphere. Because it is the neutrinos we want to detect (and not cosmic rays), the best place to do this is deep underground, where thick layers of rock shield from other cosmic rays.
One of these detectors of neutrinos is Super-Kamiokande (or Super-K for short). Super-K is is a huge cylindrical water Cherenkov neutrino detector.
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