Some scientists spend decades trying to catch a glimpse of a rare process. But with good experimental design and a lot of luck, they often need only a handful of signals to make a discovery.
neutrino
From WTTW’s Chicago Tonight, June 5, 2018: A team of physicists announced findings that could reveal the existence of a mysterious new type of particle known as a sterile neutrino. The finding by Fermilab’s MiniBooNE happens to come with several Chicago connections.
From Seeker, June 17, 2018: The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment wants to solve one of the biggest mysteries in science today, namely, why do we exist? Fermilab scientist Bonnie Fleming appears in this 6-minute explainer video.
Fermilab’s MINERvA experiment gives a boost to the particle physics field by sharpening a model of a frequent, pesky phenomenon.
From New Scientist, June 12, 2018: NOvA has confirmed that antineutrinos oscillate, detecting muon antineutrinos morphing into electron antineutrinos with more certainty than we’ve ever had before.
From Science, June 4, 2018: Don’t toss out your particle physics textbooks just yet. A team of particle physicists, including MiniBooNE collaborators, announced results that could point to an exotic new particle called a sterile neutrino. But the situation is more ambiguous than some reports suggest. Although the new data bolster one argument for the sterile neutrino, other evidence has weakened significantly in recent years.
From Gizmodo, June 4, 2018: Last year, a paper cast doubt on the existence of a sterile neutrino. But a new report from scientists at MiniBooNE provides even more evidence for the particle.
From Black Hills Pioneer, June 4, 2018: Mike Headley, South Dakota Science and Technology Authority executive director and laboratory director, and Josh Willhite, Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility far site manager for the Sanford Underground Research Facility, updated the public on the progress being made on DUNE taking place at Fermilab in Illinois.
Physicists on the MicroBooNE collaboration at Fermilab have presented their first collection of science results at the international Neutrino 2018 conference in Germany.
From BBC News, June 6, 2018: The MiniBooNE experiment at Fermilab may have found hints of a new particle. Specifically, the data may hint at a previously undetected form of neutrino, known as a “sterile neutrino.”