![]() ![]() ![]() These oscillations implied that neutrinos have mass, in tension with the standard model of particle physics. ![]() Eventually, physicists explained the missing neutrinos as resulting from oscillations between neutrino flavors (see Nobel Focus: Neutrino and X-ray Vision). They were surprised, however, to find that the number of neutrinos was one third of what models predicted-a mystery that led to a “neutrino gold rush,” with many new experiments staking claims to different energy and length scales related to the neutrino behavior. Using a detector filled with dry-cleaning fluid and placed in South Dakota’s Homestake gold mine, physicist Raymond Davis and his colleagues observed the first neutrino signal from the Sun. The study of solar neutrinos began in the late 1960s. A new generation of solar-neutrino experiments may help in solving outstanding questions about both neutrinos and solar physics, these scientists say. But some physicists argue that there is still a lot to be done with neutrinos generated in the Sun. Current neutrino research mostly relies on neutrinos generated on Earth by reactors and accelerators. They also led to the discovery of neutrino oscillations-a phenomenon that is difficult to reconcile with established theories. Measurements of solar neutrinos proved that our star is powered by nuclear reactions while also bringing to light many other details about the Sun’s inner workings. Borexino Collaboration Neutrino experiments, such as the Borexino detector depicted on the right, have illuminated many details about the Sun and the neutrinos it produces. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |