US: Bus-sized detector rules out sterile neutrino’s existence with 95% certainty
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The school bus-sized MicroBooNE cryostat, a vessel filled with liquid argon and then encased at the detector site.FermiLab A bus-sized neutrino detector housed at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in the US has investigated the anamolies of previous experiments involving sterile neutrinos. According to one model, the detector does not support the existence of a sterile neutrino, although it leaves open the possibility of further investigation. Sterile neutrinos are hypothetical right-handed leptons that are believed to only interact with gravity. Sterile neutrinos are also known as the fourth type of neutrino after active neutrinos – electron, muon, and tau that are known to interact with weak forces. Although never detected, sterile neutrinos have been proposed to explain anomalies noticed in previous experiments, provide a basis for neutrino mass, and even explain dark matter in the universe. However, after investigating years of data from previous experiments, the MicroBooNE project at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory has ruled out the existence of sterile neutrinos with 95 percent certainty. Anomalies of previous experiments Scientists study neutrinos by passing them through scintillating liquids and recording their interactions. These records are then used to reconstruct the path of the neutrinos and how they interact. Using the Standard Model, scientists then compute the number of particles expected and the difference between that and those observed is used to determine if the sterile neutrino exists or not. Previous attempts to study neutrinos have found discrepancies in the numbers on multiple occasions. In 1995, the Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector at Los Alamos National Laboratory found an excess of electron anti-neutrinos. Many years later, another project called the MiniBooNE found an excess of electron neutrinos. Later, the Baksan Experiment on Sterile Transitions (BEST) in Russia used a 50-ton tank of liquid gallium to find a deficit in germanium that the scientists attributed to interactions of electron neutrinos with gallium. Yet the sterile neutrino remains elusive. What is the MicroBooNE project? MicroBooNE is the successor to the MiniBooNE project and consists of two beamlines that deliver neutrinos to its detector. The first beamline, Neutrinos at the Main Injector (NuMI) beamline, runs 680 meters, while the second, Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) beamline runs 470 meters. Both these beamlines bring different energy ranges and therefore different records of interactions in the detector. While studying records of interactions from these different beamlines, the researchers noticed a deficit of electron neutrinos at the BNB beamline, while the NuMI beamline showed no deficit. “This first-of-its-kind two-beam measurement is a trailblazing result that significantly constrains the parameter space where a sterile neutrino could exist,” said Sowjanya Gollapinni, physicist and leader of the MicroBooNE team, in a press release. The researchers suggest that neutrinos oscillate into more than one neutrino, or there could be more physics at play that we do not completely understand yet. To do so, the researchers are hopeful that new detector projects such as the 110-meter and 600-meter dual liquid-argon detectors at the Short Baseline Neutrino Program and Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment will help unravel this mystery. “This new result from MicroBooNE is a significant advancement in our search for the origin of multiple anomalies,” said Erin Yandel, co-convener of the oscillation physics group with the project. “As a result of MicroBooNE, neutrino physics now has a novel tool that other experiments can deploy in what remains a vital and exciting scientific challenge.” The research findings were published in the journal Nature. Recommended ArticlesGet the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Sign up for freeBy subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and PoliciesYou may unsubscribe at any time.0COMMENTByAmeya PalejaAmeya is a science writer based in Hyderabad, India. A Molecular Biologist at heart, he traded the micropipette to write about science during the pandemic and does not want to go back. He likes to write about genetics, microbes, technology, and public policy.TRENDINGLATEST1Liberty Class: US Navy's new warship can run for three months without sailors2Mile-deep underground 'Gravity' nuclear reactors to get uranium from Urenco3Lockheed Martin plans to deploy 5 to 10 kilowatt nuclear fission system for lunar base41,000-mile range: US firm's military drone can operate in world's most dangerous environment5Ion beams simulate decades of reactor damage 1,000x faster at 1/1000th the costCheck ourSection!See AllInterviewsIEEE's Tom Coughlin on why storage will decide AI's futureSpaceEx-Blue Origin engineer's startup will send 1,000 trackable memorials to orbitCase StudiesWhat it takes to electrify a highwayInterviewsMaterials scientist Leonard Siebert on 3D printing for medicineAI LogsAI Impact Summit: When ambition outruns authoritySubscribe toToday!Exclusive content, expert insights and a deeper dive into engineering and tech. 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No ads, no limits.Explore NowInterviewsIEEE's Tom Coughlin on why storage will decide AI's futureSpaceEx-Blue Origin engineer's startup will send 1,000 trackable memorials to orbitCase StudiesWhat it takes to electrify a highwayInterviewsMaterials scientist Leonard Siebert on 3D printing for medicineAI LogsAI Impact Summit: When ambition outruns authorityMore from ScienceSee AllScienceQuantum computers go multi-dimensional as China-led team develops four-state photon gateScienceNew microrobot swarms use whirlpools to lift objects 45,000 times heavierScienceMother-daughter duo discovers world’s largest coral colony in AustraliaInterviewsIEEE’s Tom Coughlin on why storage will decide AI’s futureScienceGerman scientists turn trash ash into CO2-binding concrete for sustainable constructionScienceQuantum computers go multi-dimensional as China-led team develops four-state photon gateScienceNew microrobot swarms use whirlpools to lift objects 45,000 times heavierScienceMother-daughter duo discovers world’s largest coral colony in AustraliaInterviewsIEEE’s Tom Coughlin on why storage will decide AI’s futureScienceGerman scientists turn trash ash into CO2-binding concrete for sustainable constructionJOBSSee AllGeneral ApplicationRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobEditorRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobGeneral ApplicationRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobEditorRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobThe school bus-sized MicroBooNE cryostat, a vessel filled with liquid argon and then encased at the detector site.FermiLab A bus-sized neutrino detector housed at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in the US has investigated the anamolies of previous experiments involving sterile neutrinos. According to one model, the detector does not support the existence of a sterile neutrino, although it leaves open the possibility of further investigation. Sterile neutrinos are hypothetical right-handed leptons that are believed to only interact with gravity. Sterile neutrinos are also known as the fourth type of neutrino after active neutrinos – electron, muon, and tau that are known to interact with weak forces. Although never detected, sterile neutrinos have been proposed to explain anomalies noticed in previous experiments, provide a basis for neutrino mass, and even explain dark matter in the universe. However, after investigating years of data from previous experiments, the MicroBooNE project at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory has ruled out the existence of sterile neutrinos with 95 percent certainty. Anomalies of previous experiments Scientists study neutrinos by passing them through scintillating liquids and recording their interactions. These records are then used to reconstruct the path of the neutrinos and how they interact. Using the Standard Model, scientists then compute the number of particles expected and the difference between that and those observed is used to determine if the sterile neutrino exists or not. Previous attempts to study neutrinos have found discrepancies in the numbers on multiple occasions. In 1995, the Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector at Los Alamos National Laboratory found an excess of electron anti-neutrinos. Many years later, another project called the MiniBooNE found an excess of electron neutrinos. Later, the Baksan Experiment on Sterile Transitions (BEST) in Russia used a 50-ton tank of liquid gallium to find a deficit in germanium that the scientists attributed to interactions of electron neutrinos with gallium. Yet the sterile neutrino remains elusive. What is the MicroBooNE project? MicroBooNE is the successor to the MiniBooNE project and consists of two beamlines that deliver neutrinos to its detector. The first beamline, Neutrinos at the Main Injector (NuMI) beamline, runs 680 meters, while the second, Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) beamline runs 470 meters. Both these beamlines bring different energy ranges and therefore different records of interactions in the detector. While studying records of interactions from these different beamlines, the researchers noticed a deficit of electron neutrinos at the BNB beamline, while the NuMI beamline showed no deficit. “This first-of-its-kind two-beam measurement is a trailblazing result that significantly constrains the parameter space where a sterile neutrino could exist,” said Sowjanya Gollapinni, physicist and leader of the MicroBooNE team, in a press release. The researchers suggest that neutrinos oscillate into more than one neutrino, or there could be more physics at play that we do not completely understand yet. To do so, the researchers are hopeful that new detector projects such as the 110-meter and 600-meter dual liquid-argon detectors at the Short Baseline Neutrino Program and Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment will help unravel this mystery. “This new result from MicroBooNE is a significant advancement in our search for the origin of multiple anomalies,” said Erin Yandel, co-convener of the oscillation physics group with the project. “As a result of MicroBooNE, neutrino physics now has a novel tool that other experiments can deploy in what remains a vital and exciting scientific challenge.” The research findings were published in the journal Nature. Recommended ArticlesGet the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Sign up for freeBy subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and PoliciesYou may unsubscribe at any time.0COMMENTByAmeya PalejaAmeya is a science writer based in Hyderabad, India. A Molecular Biologist at heart, he traded the micropipette to write about science during the pandemic and does not want to go back. He likes to write about genetics, microbes, technology, and public policy.TRENDINGLATEST1Liberty Class: US Navy's new warship can run for three months without sailors2Mile-deep underground 'Gravity' nuclear reactors to get uranium from Urenco3Lockheed Martin plans to deploy 5 to 10 kilowatt nuclear fission system for lunar base41,000-mile range: US firm's military drone can operate in world's most dangerous environment5Ion beams simulate decades of reactor damage 1,000x faster at 1/1000th the costCheck ourSection!See AllInterviewsIEEE's Tom Coughlin on why storage will decide AI's futureSpaceEx-Blue Origin engineer's startup will send 1,000 trackable memorials to orbitCase StudiesWhat it takes to electrify a highwayInterviewsMaterials scientist Leonard Siebert on 3D printing for medicineAI LogsAI Impact Summit: When ambition outruns authoritySubscribe toToday!Exclusive content, expert insights and a deeper dive into engineering and tech. No ads, no limits.Explore NowInterviewsIEEE's Tom Coughlin on why storage will decide AI's futureSpaceEx-Blue Origin engineer's startup will send 1,000 trackable memorials to orbitCase StudiesWhat it takes to electrify a highwayInterviewsMaterials scientist Leonard Siebert on 3D printing for medicineAI LogsAI Impact Summit: When ambition outruns authorityMore from ScienceSee AllScienceQuantum computers go multi-dimensional as China-led team develops four-state photon gateScienceNew microrobot swarms use whirlpools to lift objects 45,000 times heavierScienceMother-daughter duo discovers world’s largest coral colony in AustraliaInterviewsIEEE’s Tom Coughlin on why storage will decide AI’s futureScienceGerman scientists turn trash ash into CO2-binding concrete for sustainable constructionScienceQuantum computers go multi-dimensional as China-led team develops four-state photon gateScienceNew microrobot swarms use whirlpools to lift objects 45,000 times heavierScienceMother-daughter duo discovers world’s largest coral colony in AustraliaInterviewsIEEE’s Tom Coughlin on why storage will decide AI’s futureScienceGerman scientists turn trash ash into CO2-binding concrete for sustainable constructionWEAR YOUR GENIUSShop NowJOBSSee AllGeneral ApplicationRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobEditorRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobGeneral ApplicationRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobEditorRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobCheck ourSection!See AllInterviewsIEEE's Tom Coughlin on why storage will decide AI's futureSpaceEx-Blue Origin engineer's startup will send 1,000 trackable memorials to orbitCase StudiesWhat it takes to electrify a highwayInterviewsMaterials scientist Leonard Siebert on 3D printing for medicineAI LogsAI Impact Summit: When ambition outruns authoritySubscribe toToday!Exclusive content, expert insights and a deeper dive into engineering and tech. No ads, no limits.Explore NowInterviewsIEEE's Tom Coughlin on why storage will decide AI's futureSpaceEx-Blue Origin engineer's startup will send 1,000 trackable memorials to orbitCase StudiesWhat it takes to electrify a highwayInterviewsMaterials scientist Leonard Siebert on 3D printing for medicineAI LogsAI Impact Summit: When ambition outruns authorityMore from ScienceSee AllScienceQuantum computers go multi-dimensional as China-led team develops four-state photon gateScienceNew microrobot swarms use whirlpools to lift objects 45,000 times heavierScienceMother-daughter duo discovers world’s largest coral colony in AustraliaInterviewsIEEE’s Tom Coughlin on why storage will decide AI’s futureScienceGerman scientists turn trash ash into CO2-binding concrete for sustainable constructionScienceQuantum computers go multi-dimensional as China-led team develops four-state photon gateScienceNew microrobot swarms use whirlpools to lift objects 45,000 times heavierScienceMother-daughter duo discovers world’s largest coral colony in AustraliaInterviewsIEEE’s Tom Coughlin on why storage will decide AI’s futureScienceGerman scientists turn trash ash into CO2-binding concrete for sustainable constructionJOBSSee AllGeneral ApplicationRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobEditorRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobGeneral ApplicationRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobEditorRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee Job