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How the Neutrino’s Tiny Mass Could Help Solve Big Mysteries

quantamagazine.org

1–10 of 37 posts

Re: How the Neutrino’s Tiny Mass Could Help Solve Big Mysteries

#3
> While neutrino oscillation experiments have measured the differences between the mass states, experiments like KATRIN home in on a kind of average of the three. Combining the two types of measurements can reveal the value of each mass state, favoring certain theories of neutrino mass over others.

Since the universe's cruel trick seems to be that the Standard Model -- in all its ugly glory -- refuses to be falisified, what is the least surprising outcome for this experiment? Is there a set of neutrino masses that is minimally-illuminating of physics beyond the standard model?

Re: How the Neutrino’s Tiny Mass Could Help Solve Big Mysteries

#4
Not really related but I like how they are trying to detect neutrinos to discover a supernova before it happens [1]. As the neutrinos leave the star hours before they collapse (because the neutrinos can easily escape the star due to it's low mass).

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperNova_Early_Warning_System

Re: How the Neutrino’s Tiny Mass Could Help Solve Big Mysteries

#6
post #4

Not really related but I like how they are trying to detect neutrinos to discover a supernova before it happens [1]. As the neutrinos leave the star hours before they collapse (because the neutrinos can easily escape the star due to it's low mass). [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperNova_Early_Warning_System

A small correction- it’s not the small mass of the neutrino that allows it to escape quickly, but the fact that they are electrically neutral, and also do not interact with the strong force and do not get caught by the nucleus of atoms. Photons have no mass, but they arrive after the neutrinos because they are slowed down by being constantly absorbed and remitted by the atoms of the star through the electromagnetic force.

Re: How the Neutrino’s Tiny Mass Could Help Solve Big Mysteries

#7
post #4

Not really related but I like how they are trying to detect neutrinos to discover a supernova before it happens [1]. As the neutrinos leave the star hours before they collapse (because the neutrinos can easily escape the star due to it's low mass). [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperNova_Early_Warning_System

A small correction- it’s not the small mass of the neutrino that allows it to escape quickly, but the fact that they are electrically neutral, and also do not interact with the strong force and do not get caught by the nucleus of atoms. Photons have no mass, but they arrive after the neutrinos because they are slowed down by being constantly absorbed and remitted by the atoms of the star through the electromagnetic f…

Thanks for clarifying!

Re: How the Neutrino’s Tiny Mass Could Help Solve Big Mysteries

#8
post #3

> While neutrino oscillation experiments have measured the differences between the mass states, experiments like KATRIN home in on a kind of average of the three. Combining the two types of measurements can reveal the value of each mass state, favoring certain theories of neutrino mass over others. Since the universe's cruel trick seems to be that the Standard Model -- in all its ugly glory -- refuses to be falisifie…

In the standard model neutrino masses are 0....

Re: How the Neutrino’s Tiny Mass Could Help Solve Big Mysteries

#9
post #4

Not really related but I like how they are trying to detect neutrinos to discover a supernova before it happens [1]. As the neutrinos leave the star hours before they collapse (because the neutrinos can easily escape the star due to it's low mass). [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperNova_Early_Warning_System

A small correction- it’s not the small mass of the neutrino that allows it to escape quickly, but the fact that they are electrically neutral, and also do not interact with the strong force and do not get caught by the nucleus of atoms. Photons have no mass, but they arrive after the neutrinos because they are slowed down by being constantly absorbed and remitted by the atoms of the star through the electromagnetic f…

Do you think neutrinos could be used to produce electricity?

Re: How the Neutrino’s Tiny Mass Could Help Solve Big Mysteries

#10
post #4

Not really related but I like how they are trying to detect neutrinos to discover a supernova before it happens [1]. As the neutrinos leave the star hours before they collapse (because the neutrinos can easily escape the star due to it's low mass). [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperNova_Early_Warning_System

A small correction- it’s not the small mass of the neutrino that allows it to escape quickly, but the fact that they are electrically neutral, and also do not interact with the strong force and do not get caught by the nucleus of atoms. Photons have no mass, but they arrive after the neutrinos because they are slowed down by being constantly absorbed and remitted by the atoms of the star through the electromagnetic f…

Thank you. When supernova 1987A was first detected, I thought I recalled reading an article that talked about how we detected neutrinos from it ~1hr before its visible light. I thought I was misremembering this, but apparently not.
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