sterile neutrino

From the BBC, October 27, 2021: Yesterday, the MIcroBooNE collaboration opened a new chapter in physics with the announcement of their results; the search failed to find the particle, known as the sterile neutrino.

Four complementary analyses by Fermilab’s MicroBooNE show no signs of a theorized fourth kind of neutrino known as the sterile neutrino. Its existence is considered a possible explanation for anomalies seen in previous physics experiments.

This summer, a team of scientists, engineers and technicians finished installing one of the main components that will create the strong electric field within the Short-Baseline Near Detector. Now they are getting ready to assemble the rest of the detector.

Back when it was theorized, scientists weren’t sure they would ever detect the neutrino. Now scientists, including some at Fermilab, are searching for a version of the particle that could be even more elusive.

The ICARUS detector, part of Fermilab’s Short-Baseline Neutrino Program, will officially start its hunt for elusive sterile neutrinos this fall. The international collaboration led by Nobel laureate Carlo Rubbia successfully brought the detector online and is now collecting test data and making final improvements.

From Spektrum, Sept. 16, 2020: Mit neuen Experimenten wollen Forscher herausfinden, ob es eine vierte Variante des Neutrinos gibt. Sollte sie existieren, könnte das Einblicke in den rätselhaften dunklen Sektor des Universums erlauben.

From Pour la Science, Aug. 24, 2020: Les neutrinos existent en trois variétés, mais certains indices suggèrent l’existence d’une quatrième, qui pourrait jouer un rôle important en cosmologie. Des expériences sont en cours afin de détecter ces hypothétiques particules. Les données de MiniBooNE n’ont fait qu’appuyer davantage les arguments en faveur de cette quatrième saveur de neutrino.

From New Atlas, Aug. 12, 2020: An extensive search for a hypothetical particle has turned up empty. The sterile neutrino is a proposed subatomic particle that could even be a candidate for the mysterious dark matter, and although previous studies have hinted at its existence, and the MINOS+ and Daya Bay experiments have all but ruled it out.

The MINOS+ and Daya Bay neutrino experiments combine results to produce most stringent test yet for the existence of sterile neutrinos.

From Scientific American, July 2020: Evidence for the existence of a sterile neutrino is compelling, but the idea that certain experiments might be detecting a fourth neutrino remains controversial. Projects around the world seek to settle the matter, including Fermilab’s Short-Baseline Neutrino program.