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Topics: Neutrinos, Particle Physics, Standard Model, Theoretical Physics
IN BRIEF
- The combined results of several studies have narrowed the potential range where a theoretical subset of particles known as sterile neutrinos could exist.
- The discovery of these fundamental particles could dramatically alter the Standard Model of particle physics.
THE HUNTED
Neutrinos are one of the most fascinating fundamental particles, mainly because they are so elusive. These barely detectable particles are almost massless and don’t interact with most anything. Studying neutrinos is not easy, and even less easy is studying a theoretical subset of the particles: sterile neutrinos.
Sterile neutrinos were initially proposed as a way to explain the Los Alamos National Laboratory experiments in the 1990s in which scientists discovered neutrino oscillations, the ability of neutrinos to change from one flavor to another. Based on what they expected from these potential particles, scientists determined a range of possible physical properties for sterile neutrinos, including their expected mass, but hadn’t yet actually confirmed their existence.
Futurism: The Dark Sector of Physics: The Hunt for New Fundamental Particles Is On
AUTHOR Dom Galeon, EDITOR Kristin Houser
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