Artificially, they are created by the nuclear reactions happening in nuclear reactors and particle accelerators on Earth. Supernova explosions and the spinning of pulsars are some of the other natural sources of neutrinos. Originating from nuclear fusion reactions happening in the Sun and other stars, neutrinos are traveling throughout the universe. So, where do these trillions of neutrinos originate from? Nuclear fusion reactions in the Sun Every second, about 100 trillion neutrinos pass through our body. So, it is a difficult task to detect and study neutrinos. The significance of studying neutrinosĪs these neutrinos have zero electric charges, they are unaffected by electromagnetic fields. As it is built deep underground in the south pole, interference from cosmic rays are minimal. They detect the Cherenkov radiation emitted as a result of the interaction between neutrinos and ice. IceCube neutrino observatory is one such example where a one-cubic-kilometer of clear polar ice in Antartica is used as a medium to detect neutrinos. Chlorine, gallium, heavy water and a few other fluids are also being used as mediums to detect neutrinos. This Cherenkov light is detected by these phototubes. So, when these neutrinos pass through the water at the speed of light, it creates an electron or muon, and Cherenkov radiation is emitted as a result.
They are usually surrounded by photoelectric cells (phototubes) that are very sensitive to light. Some detectors use large volumes of water as a medium.
There are various neutrino detection methods. Most of these neutrino detectors are built underground to prevent any interference from other background radiation. Large neutrino observatories are being established around the world to study neutrinos. So, neutrino observatories have to be very large in order to detect a considerable amount of neutrinos. How neutrinos are detected?Īs they interact very weakly with other particles, detecting neutrinos is a difficult task. Similarly, when an antitau particle decays, it creates a tau antineutrino. Also, a tau neutrino is created as a result. Or a muon and a muon antineutrino are released. Also, it releases an electron and an electron antineutrino. When these tau particles decay, it gives rise to an elementary particle called W boson. And they have their antitau particles as well. Like muons, tau is also an elementary particle present in atoms. And, as a result, a muon neutrino or a muon antineutrino is created. Also, from this particle decay, an electron antineutrino or an electron neutrino is released. And if an antimuon decays, it releases a positron. If a muon decays, it releases an electron. When these muons and antimuons undergo particle decay, an electron or a positron is released. Feynman diagram of Muon to electron decay Like electrons, protons, neutrons, muons are elementary particles present in atoms. Muon neutrinosīefore going into muon neutrinos, we must learn about muons first. When an element reduces its atomic number by 1 and becomes an entirely different element, the process is known as beta decay. Beta-decay of berylliumĪs a result of this process, an electron neutrino is released. When a proton from the beryllium’s nucleus attracts an innermost electron, its atomic number gets reduced to 3, becoming lithium, an entirely different element. Electron captureįor example, consider an atom of Beryllium, its atomic number is 4. As a result of this electron capture, an electron neutrino is created. This process is known as electron capture. When a proton from the atomic nucleus attracts an electron from the innermost orbit, the negatively charged electron, and the positively charged proton combines together to form a neutron. But, electrons revolve around the atomic nucleus. In any atom, protons and neutrons reside in the atomic nucleus. Protons are positively charged particles. Electrons are negatively charged particles. Let’s take a quick recap of the three basic subatomic particles that we all know. How neutrinos are formed? The subatomic particles Subatomic particles
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