Context
Recent findings from the NOvA experiment have further complicated our understanding of neutrino masses.
About NOvA (NuMI Off-axis νe Appearance) Experiment:
- It aims to gain insights into the ordering of neutrino masses.
- It is managed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, situated near Chicago, United States.
- Fermilab directs a beam of neutrinos 500 miles north to a 14,000-ton detector in Ash River, Minnesota.
- By measuring neutrinos and their antimatter counterparts, antineutrinos, at both locations, physicists can investigate how these particles change type as they travel, a process known as neutrino oscillation.
About Neutrinos
- A neutrino is one of the fundamental particles.
- Flavors of Neutrinos: come sin 3 types, or “flavors”:
- Electron Neutrino (νe)
- Muon Neutrino (νμ)
- Tau Neutrino (ντ)
- Properties of Neutrinos
- Lepton Family: belong to the lepton family, similar to electrons.
- Mass: are the lightest of all subatomic particles with mass.
- Electrical Charge: are electrically neutral.
- Interaction with Matter:
- Interact with matter via the weak force.
- The weak force’s minimal strength makes matter almost transparent to neutrinos.
- Oscillation: Neutrinos mix and oscillate between different species as they travel through space.
- Sources of Neutrinos:
- Stars: produced in the core of stars, including our Sun, through nuclear fusion and decay processes.
- Exploding Stars: Supernovae produce a vast number of neutrinos.
- Cosmic Rays: Interactions of cosmic rays with the Earth’s atmosphere and other materials produce neutrinos.
- Decay:
- Heavy Particle Decay: When heavy particles decay, they often produce neutrinos.
- Natural Radioactivity: Certain radioactive materials emit neutrinos during their decay processes.
- Relic Neutrinos: These are remnants from the early universe, dating back to the Big Bang.
Source:
The Hindu
Previous Year Question
The experiment will employ a trio of spacecraft flying in formation in the shape of an equilateral triangle that has sides one million kilometres long, with lasers shining between the craft.
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2020 Prelims]
The experiment in question refers to:
(a) Voyager-2
(b) New Horizons
(c) LISA Pathfinder
(d) Evolved LISA
Answer: (d)
