Neutrinos change their identity on cosmic journeys
Elusive neutrinos transform between electron, muon, and tau flavors during their cosmic travels, revealing they possess mass and reshaping our understanding of fundamental particles.
Neutrinos, tiny particles from the sun and supernovae, famously switch between three identities—electron, muon, and tau—as they travel through space. This phenomenon, called neutrino oscillation, means a neutrino born as one type can arrive as another, proving they have a tiny but definite mass. This was a huge surprise, as scientists initially thought they were massless and unchanging.
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