nøytrinomassen

Nøytrinomassen refers to the mass of neutrinos. Neutrinos are fundamental subatomic particles that are electrically neutral and interact very weakly with other matter. For a long time, it was assumed that neutrinos were massless, similar to photons. However, experiments observing neutrino oscillations have provided definitive evidence that neutrinos do indeed possess a small, non-zero mass.

Neutrino oscillations occur when a neutrino of one flavor (electron, muon, or tau) changes into another flavor as it travels. This phenomenon can only happen if neutrinos have mass, as the different mass states of neutrinos are not identical to their flavor states. The probability of oscillation depends on the mass differences between the neutrino mass states.

The exact values of the neutrino masses are not yet precisely known. Experiments have established upper limits on their masses, and ongoing research aims to measure them more accurately. Determining the absolute neutrino mass is a significant goal in particle physics, as it has implications for our understanding of the Standard Model of particle physics and cosmology. For instance, the sum of the masses of the three known neutrino flavors can affect the expansion rate of the universe and the formation of large-scale structures. The hierarchy of neutrino masses, meaning whether the lightest neutrino is significantly lighter or only slightly lighter than the others, is also an active area of investigation. Understanding nøytrinomassen is crucial for a complete picture of fundamental physics.