A strange gap between theoretical expectations and experimental results in a major neutrino research project could be a sign of a “sterile” escape neutrino: a very silent particle, which can only be detected by the silence it leaves behind. .
This is not the first time we have seen anomalies, as well as previous experimental data suggesting something strange in the world of neutrino research. This time, it was discovered in the Baksan experiment on sterile transformations (BEST).
Clear evidence of hypothetical sterile neutrinos could provide physicists with a powerful candidate for supplying dark matter to the mysterious universe. On the other hand, it may simply be a problem with the paradigms used to describe old-school behaviors peculiar to neutrinos.
Which could also be an important moment in the history of physics.
“The results are very exciting,” said Steve Elliott, a physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
“This certainly confirms the anomalies we saw in previous experiments. But what this means is unclear. There are now conflicting results on sterile neutrinos. If the results point to a misunderstanding of basic nuclear or atomic physics, this It would also be very interesting. “
Although they are among the most abundant particles in the universe, neutrinos are known to be difficult to capture. When you have just too much, no electric charge and only make your existence known by the weak nuclear force, it is easy to slip through the densest matter without obstacles.
The ghost-like movement of the neutral is not its only interesting quality. The quantum wave of each particle is transformed as it takes off, oscillating between different “flavors” that echo the resonance of the negatively charged particles: the electron, the muon, and the tau.
Studies on neutrino oscillations at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the United States in the 1990s I noticed gaps at the time of this turn that left room for a fourth flavor, one that would not occur as a ripple in the weak nuclear domain.
Silently hidden, the sterile taste of neutrinos will only become apparent with a brief pause in their interactions.
BEST is protected from cosmic neutrino sources beneath a rock mile in the Caucasus Roller Coaster. It has a double-chamber deposit of liquid gallium that patiently collects neutrinos emitted by the radioactive chromium nucleus.
After measuring the amount of gallium that has become a germanium isotope in each tank, researchers can work backwards to determine the number of direct collisions with neutrinos as they oscillate through the taste of ‘electrons.
Similar to the “rooster anomaly” in the Los Alamos experiment, the researchers counted between one-fifth and one-fourth less germanium than expected, indicating a deficit in the expected number of neutrinos. electronic.
This is not to say that neutrinos have briefly adopted a sterile taste. Many other searches for slightly small particles come out empty-handed, leaving open the possibility that the models used to predict transitions are a bit misleading.
This is not a bad thing in itself. Corrections in the basic framework of nuclear physics could have significant ramifications, potentially revealing gaps in the standard form that could lead to explanations for some of the great mysteries that remain in science.
If this is really a sign of a sterile neutrino, we could eventually have evidence of matter in massive amounts, but it only forms a gravitational canvas in the space tissue.
Whether this is the sum of dark matter or just a piece of your puzzle depends on more experiments with more ghostly particles.
This research was published in Physics review letters And the physical review c.