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Article: New pass at neutrino mass.(Physics)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- June 26, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The first of a new breed of experiments on neutrinos has detected an energy pattern consistent with earlier hints that those subatomic particles have mass. However, the prevailing theory of particle physics assumes no mass for the three types of neutrinos--electron, muon, or tan neutrinos.
Since 1998, experimenters have found that neutrinos can change types--a process possible only if neutrinos have some mass (SN: 12/14/02, p. 371). The scientists have observed such changes among neutrinos emanating from the sun, from cosmic ray collisions with atmospheric molecules, and from nuclear reactors
To generate and measure neutrinos under-more ...