nøytrinomasse

Neutrino mass refers to the property of neutrinos having a non-zero rest mass. Historically, neutrinos were believed to be massless particles, a fundamental assumption in the Standard Model of particle physics. However, experimental observations, particularly those related to neutrino oscillations, have provided compelling evidence that neutrinos do possess mass.

Neutrino oscillations are phenomena where a neutrino of one flavor (electron, muon, or tau) can change into another flavor as it propagates. This change can only occur if the neutrinos have mass and if the mass eigenstates are different from the flavor eigenstates. The energy of the oscillating neutrino and the distance it travels determine the probability of observing a particular flavor.

The discovery of neutrino oscillations has profound implications. It necessitates an extension or modification of the Standard Model to accommodate massive neutrinos. The precise mass values of neutrinos are still unknown, but experiments have set upper limits. Determining these masses is a significant goal in particle physics and cosmology, as neutrino mass could contribute to the total mass of the universe and play a role in the formation of large-scale structures. Various experiments are ongoing to measure these masses more accurately, employing techniques such as tritium beta decay and neutrinoless double beta decay. The nature of neutrino mass, specifically whether it is a Dirac or Majorana particle, is also a subject of active research.