For more than 30 years, scientists have wondered about the mystery of the neutrinos emitted from the sun. Data collected from underground detectors in Canada and Japan provide the answer.
Neutrinos: Unique Particles in the Microworld
Neutrinos are unique particles in the microworld. They carry no electric charge, travel at nearly the speed of light, and come in three types: electron, muon, and tau. These particles are so elusive that you don’t even notice the solar neutrinos passing through your fingernails every second. The “solar neutrino mystery” began in 1968, when a groundbreaking experiment found that there were fewer solar neutrinos of the electron type than expected from the detailed model of how the sun shines (and the number of neutrinos detected). Two ideas were widely debated: either the solar model was wrong, or something was happening to the neutrinos as they traveled to Earth.
Conclusion
After more than 30 years of research and experiments, scientists have been able to solve the solar neutrino mystery. Data from underground detectors in Canada and Japan confirmed that the current solar model is correct and that neutrinos do not interact with matter in the way previously thought. This important discovery contributes to our understanding of the sun and its workings, and may lead to new developments in the field of high-energy physics.
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The information used in this article is taken from the following source:
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