As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Physicists with the KArlsruhe TRItium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment report the most exact measurement of the upper mass limitation of the neutrino to date, developing it as 0.45 electron volts (eV)– less than one-millionth the mass of an electron.
Interior view of the KATRIN primary spectrometer. Image credit: M. Zacher/ KATRIN Collaboration.
Neutrinos are the most plentiful particles in deep space and exist as 3 unique types or tastes: electron neutrino, muon neutrino, and tau neutrino.
These tastes oscillate, indicating a single neutron can change into each type as it takes a trip, offering engaging proof that neutrinos have mass that opposes the Standard Model’s initial presumption of massless neutrinos.
Their specific mass stays one of the fantastic secrets of particle physics.
In a brand-new paper in the journal Sciencephysicists with the KATRIN Collaboration provide the outcomes of the very first 5 measurement projects of the KATRIN experiment.
“The KATRIN experiment identifies the neutrino’s mass by evaluating the beta decay of tritium,” they discussed.
“During this decay, a neutron changes into a proton, producing both an electron and an electron antineutrino– the latter being the neutrino’s antiparticle.”
“By examining the circulation of overall decay energy in between the produced electron and the electron antineutrino, the neutrino’s mass can be presumed.”
Over 259 days in between 2019 and 2021, the KATRIN physicists determined the energy of around 36 million electrons– a dataset 6 times bigger than previous runs.
The findings develop the most rigid laboratory-based ceiling on the reliable electron neutrino mass, putting it at <
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
