A joint Fermilab/SLAC publication
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Neutrinos 101

Learn more about the invisible particles constantly streaming through us all.

Illustration of a person measuring a "Supernova" car with a measuring tape
01/24/23

Ways to weigh a neutrino

For decades scientists have tried to find a way to measure the mass of the lightest matter particle known to exist. Three new approaches now have a chance to succeed.

Illustration: Neutrinos revealed in particle physics advent calendar with scientists eyeing another possibility
08/17/21

The search for the sterile neutrino

Back when it was theorized, scientists weren’t sure they would ever detect the neutrino; now they’re searching for a version of the particle that could be even more elusive.

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05/01/09

Standard Model discoveries

Sixteen elementary types of particles form the basis for the theoretical framework known as the Standard Model of fundamental particles and forces. J.J.

03/01/09

Cosmic weather gauges

Particle physics joins forces with other fields to look at two important factors shaping weather: temperatures high in the atmosphere and the dampness of the dirt beneath our feet.

11/01/08

Where old physics stuff goes to live

The Fermilab boneyard is no burial ground; it’s a place where unwanted parts find new homes and lives. They’re matched with scientists who can put them to good use, donated to local schools and parks, or sold for recycling.

Illustration of neutrino symbols on a scale
09/01/08

Neutrino masses

Neutrino masses are extremely difficult to measure. While we know precisely how much an electron weighs, we have little information on the mass of its neutral partner, the electron neutrino. The same is true of the muon neutrino and tau neutrino.

08/01/08

New tools forge new frontiers

US particle physics is pushing forward on three frontiers. Each has a unique approach to making discoveries, and all three are essential to answering key questions about the laws of nature and the cosmos.

08/01/08

Bonnie and the ArgoNeuTs

Inspired by heroes of Greek mythology, physicists are on a quest to find a cheaper, more efficient way to capture neutrinos—one of the strangest and most fascinating particles in the universe.

An illustration of a "machine" used to create Z bosons
08/01/08

Z boson

The Z boson is a neutral particle that mediates the weak force.

Logbook of Jan-Feb 2008
02/01/08

W boson

In August 1982, Margaret Thatcher, then prime minister of the United Kingdom, paid a private visit to the European laboratory CERN. On her arrival she told Director General Herwig Schopper that she wanted to be treated as a fellow scientist.

An illustration of the sun
02/01/08

W boson

The W boson is a charged force-carrying particle that transmits the weak force.

12/01/07

Penguins and particles

‘Tis the season for science at the bottom of the Earth. Researchers are flying to the South Pole from all over the globe to take advantage of the “ warm” summer months, when temperatures average minus 35 degrees Fahrenheit.

11/01/07

DUSEL mine tour

In March 2007, members of a US National Science Foundation panel went on a whirlwind bus tour of potential sites for the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory. Here’'s an account of that trip by Peter Fisher of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.