Mysterious Neutrinos: Unlocking the secrets of the universe

Content Number: 25
Author Name: Urva Ashraf
Author I’d: SBPWNC – A25
Educational Institution: COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, Pakistan
Content Title: Mysterious Neutrinos: Unlocking the secrets of the universe

“We are in the universe and the universe is in us.”                                                                                              

                                                                                        Neil de Grasse Tyson

Twinkling stars in the night sky not only emit light, but also whisper secrets hidden in our deep, vast universe. The most mysterious of them all is the Neutrinos. This curiosity prompts the scientists to uncover the pieces of this mystery through many theories, experiments and they continue to solve this mystery.

Introduction:

                                    In 1930  , an Australian physicists Wolfgang Pauli discovered these newly developed particles during the

 Beta – Decay process.

         “The nuclear reaction between the sun and the other stars created the very intangible and mysterious sub atomic particles called Neutrinos.”

Flavors:

There are three flavors of Neutrinos:

• Electron neutrino (ve) : It is emitted by nuclear reactions in the Sun which acts as a bridge in the nuclear fusion of stars. It is just like an Electron.
• Muon neutrino (νμ): They are more massive than the electron neutrino. It is just like the Muons. It is emitted by high energy interactions like cosmic rays interaction with air in atmosphere.
• Tau neutrino (ντ): It is just like the Tau particles. It is more massive among all the flavors and is emitted by more high energy interactions than muon.

Neutrinos can change their flavor from one flavor to another during their journey through the universe. called the Neutrino Oscillations .

Elusive nature:

                                                  Neutrinos are also called “ghostly particles because of their unique properties compared to all other particles in the universe. Neutrinos are very small, neutral particles that can pass through any matter undetected. They interact very little with other particles, so trillions of neutrinos pass through the human body in every second unnoticed. It shows no charge, which means it is not easily detected and interacted with by electric or magnetic fields. Because of the weak nuclear force and small mass, it rarely interacts with other particles. It requires a high-energy interaction process for production, making it difficult to detect because it is not common in everyday Due to its least interaction property, it became ideal for cosmic study.

Neutrinos and universe’s biggest mysteries:

                                                   Our universe is vast, surrounded by many hidden secrets. Neutrinos are the key to most of the secrets of the universe and help in the deep study of the universe.

Dark Energy:

                                                 Dark energy is a hypothetical form of energy. It makes up about 68% of the total mass of the universe and is accelerating the expansion of the universe. At first glance, neutrinos and dark energy seem very unrelated, but some theories link them. The properties of dark energy can be easily understood through neutrinos. Some studies suggest that neutrinos can affect the expansion of the universe (the dark energy attribute) and the density of dark energy because of their vastly small mass. The sterile neutrino, a highly hypothetical particle, can provide insight into the properties of dark energy. There are some experiments that are used to both characterize neutrinos and also to model dark energy, such as:

• T2K, NOvA , DUNE        (Oscillation experiments )
• GERDA , CUPID, MAJORANA ( Double Beta decay experiment )
• CMB- S4 , PTOLEMY ( Cosmological experiment )

Matter and anti-matter symmetry:

Also called CP (Charge Conjugation and Parity) symmetry, it states that the universe will stay or behave the same if matter is replaced by antimatter. It is helpful in understanding the evolution of the universe and particles and antiparticles. The neutrino and the matter-antimatter synchrony are related concepts that are both helpful in understanding the universe.

Neutrino oscillations play a key role in testing CP symmetry because it is against this symmetry of matter exchange. This violation is sensitive to mass hierarchy and also helps to show that matter dominates the universe more than antimatter. Why is it?

Cutting-Edge  researches:

                                                                Scientists have proposed many researches and technologies for neutrino detection with the support of the research community.

Super kamiokanden:

                                                                     The Super K detector is located in the Kamioka Mine, Japan, which contains 50,000 tons of ultrapure water that uses Cherenkov radiation to detect solar neutrinos, neutrino oscillations (1998), and supernova neutrinos.

JUNO (Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory):

                                                                   Located in Jiangmen, China, it has a 20,000-ton liquid scintillator that uses the inverse beta decay reaction to detect the neutrino mass hierarchy, solar neutrinos, geoneutrinos, and neutrino oscillation parameters, in collaboration with nearly 600 scientists from almost 60 countries. 

IceCube :

It is located at the South Pole, Antarctica, where the detectors consist of 5,160 digital optical modules (DOMs) with 86 strings buried 1.5 km under the ice. It also uses Cherenkov rays to study high-energy neutrino sources such as supernovae and gamma-ray decay.

Future Techniques:

• Super kamiokanden is ungraded to Super-Kamiokanden-II (2006) with improved power of detection. In the future, it is further planned to upgrade to Super-Kamiokanden-III and Hyper-Kamiokanden with great improvements with the collaboration of the United States and other countries.

• DUNE (Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment) is located in Lead, USA, and contains four modules, each having 10,000 tons of liquid argon expected to be operational in 2030. It is used for better understanding of neutrino properties, neutrino mass hierarchy, CP violation parameters, and also the matter-antimatter symmetry of the universe with the collaboration of 1000 scientists from about 30 countries.
• KM3NeT, located in the Mediterranean Sea, also uses the Cherenkov radiations with networks of optical modules to study high energy neutrino sources and is also known as multi-messenger astronomy. Its first phase is expected to be completed in 2025.
• Ice Cube Gen 2, which is 5-10 times more sensitive and better than the current detector, will allow more precise localization, measurement of neutrino properties, and the nature of dark matter. Its construction will probably take place from 2025-2030 and is expected to be fully operational in 2040.

Exploring Invisible world:

                           “The universe has no beginning and will have no end.”                                                            

                                                                                                                                       Stephen Hawking                                    

                  The universe is like a vast mystery box, and every time we explore it, we discover new and wonderful things. The neutrino is also one of the most mysterious particles in the universe, which also plays an important role in discovering other mysteries of the universe. It is also called the messenger to the invisible world because it gives an insightful understanding of the early universe as it was created in the first few seconds after the Big Bang. Neutrinos are also helpful to understand matter-antimatter symmetry. That is why matter is dominated in the universe. It is helpful to get to know about the properties of dark matter and energy and also to know about galaxy formation and distribution. As it is formed from the core of stars, it is very helpful in deep study of their internal work and nuclear reactions that occur in them. 

Conclusion:

Neutrinos assume a crucial part in how we might interpret the universe, offering bits of knowledge into cosmology, molecule physical science, astronomy, and dim matter. Future possibilities for neutrino research hold a lot of commitment, with cutting edge locators and trials planning to recognize neutrinos from far off sources, concentrate on neutrino properties, and investigate neutrino astronomy. This examination can possibly upset how we might interpret the universe, uncovering new experiences into its crucial regulations, development, and secrets. As scientists keep on investigating the properties and conduct of neutrinos, we can expect previously unheard-of revelations that will develop how we might interpret the universe. 

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