Neutrinos are neutral, meaning the magnets in a particle accelerator can’t manipulate them. So how can scientists make a dense beam of neutrinos for their experiments? Neutrino physicist Kirsty Duffy and Fermilab accelerator operator Laura Bolt explain the power of protons and how teams can generate intense beams of neutrinos using particle accelerators.
NOvA
Neutrinos are weird. Scientists didn’t expect them to change type as they travel, but they do! So how do we study this weird phenomenon of neutrino oscillation? On this episode, neutrino physicist Kirsty Duffy and special guest Anne Norrick will explore how to build a long-distance neutrino experiment.
The NOvA experiment, best known for its measurements of neutrino oscillations using particle beams from Fermilab accelerators, has been turning its attention to measurements of cosmic phenomena. In a series of results, NOvA reports on neutrinos from supernovae, gravitational-wave events from black hole mergers, muons from cosmic rays, and its search for the elusive monopole.
From Sci News, Oct. 2, 2020: A research team from four national laboratories, including Fermilab and Argonne, have undertaken work at two Fermilab neutrino experiments — MiniBooNE and NOvA — to construct a model of how neutrinos interact with atomic nuclei. This knowledge is essential to unravel an even bigger mystery: why during their journey through space or matter neutrinos magically morph from one into another of three possible types or flavors.
From Interesting Engineering, Oct. 4, 2020: Fermilab’s NOvA experiment is listed in this rundown of the world’s neutrino observatories.
A scientist, avid runner and Cajun food cook, Bryan Ramson is helping solve the universe’s mysteries as a member of two Fermilab-hosted neutrino experiments: NOvA and the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment. Eager to share the joy of science with others, Ramson is active in physics outreach in the Chicago community.