> A follow-on experiment, called MicroBooNE, was built specifically to look for sterile neutrinos, and in late 2025, it reported no evidence of the expected signatures. But absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
Neutrino research is so cool. SNO+ is entering a new phase this year, with a new scintillator fluid that might allow us to determine their Majorana status. Always cool to realize how much is still unknown, and how tenuously we “know” anything.
Right. It is amazing how everything in Physics now seems to be based on our understanding of Atomic Physics/Quantum Effects. Perhaps we should revise our physics curricula to start with atomic theory.
The article reads like "magic" to the common man. For example; if electron neutrino's measured mass were to be around 26 electronvolts (eV) what does it mean to say "If true, it would “close the universe,” meaning it would ascribe enough mass and energy to the universe to eventually halt its expansion and reverse it." A lot for the curious to process and study.
PS: Folks interested in studying Atomic Physics might find this free ebook useful; Atomic Physics for Everyone: An Introduction to Atomic Physics, Quantum Mechanics, and Precision Spectroscopy with No College-Level Prerequisites - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46961595
> A follow-on experiment, called MicroBooNE, was built specifically to look for sterile neutrinos, and in late 2025, it reported no evidence of the expected signatures. But absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
Yes, but exclusion regions are.
The Soviet detector mentioned is probably https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baksan_Neutrino_Observatory
There is a tour of it on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5jhp74Uw54 if you happen to speak some Russian. The scintillator array part starts around 22min
Neutrino research is so cool. SNO+ is entering a new phase this year, with a new scintillator fluid that might allow us to determine their Majorana status. Always cool to realize how much is still unknown, and how tenuously we “know” anything.
Right. It is amazing how everything in Physics now seems to be based on our understanding of Atomic Physics/Quantum Effects. Perhaps we should revise our physics curricula to start with atomic theory.
The article reads like "magic" to the common man. For example; if electron neutrino's measured mass were to be around 26 electronvolts (eV) what does it mean to say "If true, it would “close the universe,” meaning it would ascribe enough mass and energy to the universe to eventually halt its expansion and reverse it." A lot for the curious to process and study.
PS: Folks interested in studying Atomic Physics might find this free ebook useful; Atomic Physics for Everyone: An Introduction to Atomic Physics, Quantum Mechanics, and Precision Spectroscopy with No College-Level Prerequisites - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46961595