Fermilab experiment sees neutrino oscillation

Theoretically, oscillations take place causing changes to the muon neutrinos fired out into electron or tau – the other types whilst in transit. According to a press release from William and Mary, the experiment revealed the first neutrino oscillations ever witnessed. One of the project’s objectives is to observe muon neutrinos transform into electron-type neutrinos. Conducted at the US Department of Energy’s Fermilab in Batavia Illinois, the experiment examines the subatomic particles that are created by sources as diverse as nuclear reactors, the sun, and the Big Bang. “For all of the individuals who labored over the course of a decade on the designing, constructing, commissioning and working this experiment, it is past gratifying”.

Happily for Fermilab, the NOvA detector has just recorded its first evidence of oscillating neutrinos, proving the massive investment into the 50 feet tall, 50 feet wide, and 200 feet long scientific instrument does indeed do what the team at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory hoped it would.

Effectively, this system represents a giant gun used for firing neutrinos & capturing them at the other end.

Presenting this fresh research during the Division of Particles & Fields conference of the American Physical Society, scientists went on to explain how they fired two hundred and one muon neutrinos and had thirty three reach the detector. “We also look for those muon neutrinos to just disappear, or really change into any type of neutrino”. The beam gets to travel for more than 500 miles straight through the Earth, changing its type (oscillating) numerous times along the way.

The composition of the neutrino beam that was generated at Fermilab is measured while the beam passes through a near detector located underground.

Experimental results published this week show that the scientists at Fermilab are on the right track – they have confirmed the presence of neutrinos that have oscillated.

Scientists have recorded the neutrino interaction in the far detector in Ash River, Minnesota since February last year with the researchers monitoring the data remotely. But the far detector only registered 33 muon neutrinos and 6 electrons. It’s one of several experiments going on across the world to understand neutrinos. Most of the beam coming from Fermilab is made up of muon neutrinos.

The arriving neutrinos featured some electron neutrinos, suggesting they had oscillated along their path through Earth. Matter and antimatter might have simply annihilated and we might be left with nothing within the universe however power.

A graphic representation of one of the first neutrino interactions captured at the NOvA far detector in northern Minnesota.