| Revision as of 18:38, 5 October 2001 editDrBob (talk | contribs)3,376 edits link to solar neutrino problem | Revision as of 05:45, 20 November 2001 edit undoChenyu (talk | contribs)166 editsNo edit summaryNext edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| A '''neutrino''' is a neutral particle with very low ], possibly zero. It has spin 1/2 and so is a ]. It does not interact with the ] or the ], but does interact with the ] (and with ] if it turns out to have mass). | A '''neutrino''' is a neutral particle with very low ], possibly zero. It has spin 1/2 and so is a ]. It does not interact with the ] or the ], but does interact with the ] (and with ] if it turns out to have mass). | ||
| Because the neutrino only interacts with the ] the cross section is | |||
| extremely low. It would take a light year of lead to block half the neutrinos flowing through it. | |||
| It comes in three varieties, the electron neutrino ν<sub>e</sub>, the muon neutrino ν<sub>μ</sub>, and the tau neutrino ν<sub>τ</sub>. | It comes in three varieties, the electron neutrino ν<sub>e</sub>, the muon neutrino ν<sub>μ</sub>, and the tau neutrino ν<sub>τ</sub>. | ||
Revision as of 05:45, 20 November 2001
A neutrino is a neutral particle with very low mass, possibly zero. It has spin 1/2 and so is a fermion. It does not interact with the strong force or the electromagnetic force, but does interact with the weak force (and with gravity if it turns out to have mass).
Because the neutrino only interacts with the weak nuclear force the cross section is extremely low. It would take a light year of lead to block half the neutrinos flowing through it.
It comes in three varieties, the electron neutrino νe, the muon neutrino νμ, and the tau neutrino ντ.
See also solar neutrino problem, particle physics.