antineutrínó

An antineutrino is an elementary subatomic particle. It is the antiparticle of the neutrino. Antineutrinos are leptons and have no net electric charge. They are members of the third generation of fundamental particles. Like neutrinos, antineutrinos have a very small mass, though the exact mass is not yet precisely known. They interact with matter only through the weak nuclear force and gravity, making them extremely difficult to detect.

Antineutrinos are produced in certain types of radioactive decay, specifically beta decay. In this process, a neutron in an atomic nucleus decays into a proton, an electron, and an antineutrino. The electron is emitted as a beta particle. Antineutrinos are also produced in nuclear reactors during nuclear fission, where they are a byproduct of the decay of fission fragments. They are also generated in large quantities by stars, including our Sun, through nuclear fusion processes.

The detection of antineutrinos is a challenging task due to their weak interactions. Specialized detectors, often employing large volumes of liquid scintillator or water, are used to observe the rare instances when an antineutrino interacts with atomic nuclei. Studying antineutrinos provides valuable insights into fundamental physics, nuclear processes, and astrophysics. Their properties are crucial for understanding the Standard Model of particle physics and for probing the conditions inside stars and nuclear reactors.