Particle physics. The sterile neutrino: fertile concept or dead end?
Particle physics. The sterile neutrino: fertile concept or dead end?
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粒子物理学。
DOI：
10.1126/science.334.6054.304
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发表时间：
2011
期刊：
影响因子：
56.9
通讯作者：
A. Cho
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
A. Cho
15年来，研究人员积累了“无菌中微子”的线索，这是一种几乎无法探测到的中微子的更难以捉摸的表亲。但大多数物理学家认为这些证据缺乏说服力，因为大多数指向惰性中微子的结果在统计意义上都是微不足道的。然而，最近一项对核反应堆数据的新分析支持了无菌中微子的存在。因此，上个月，来自世界各地的60名物理学家聚集在一起，讨论支持和反对惰性中微子存在的争论，并试图决定是否值得举办一个专门的实验来解决这个问题。进行这样的实验并不容易。假设的中微子被称为惰性中微子，因为它们根本不与已知粒子相互作用。尽管如此，物理学家说，现在是时候弄清楚如何才能一劳永逸地发现或排除惰性中微子了。
For 15 years, researchers have accumulated hints that the "sterile neutrino"—a more-elusive cousin of the nearly undetectable neutrinos—might be out there. But most physicists have found the evidence unconvincing, as most of the results pointing toward sterile neutrinos are of marginal statistical significance. Recently, however, the case for sterile neutrinos has grown stronger, bolstered by a new analysis of data from nuclear reactors. So last month 60 physicists from around the world gathered to hash out the arguments for and against the existence of sterile neutrinos and to try to decide whether it9s worth staging a dedicated experiment to settle the matter. Performing such an experiment won9t be easy. The hypothetical neutrinos are called sterile because they do not interact at all with known particles. Still, physicists say, it9s time to figure out what it will take to discover or rule out sterile neutrinos once and for all.