In the USA, an important milestone in the search for rare neutrino particles has been achieved at Fermilab, which could potentially lead to groundbreaking discoveries in physics.
The Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND) at Fermilab has successfully recorded neutrino particles for the first time, marking a significant breakthrough in years of research focused on studying these nearly weightless and hardly interacting particles that play a crucial role in our understanding of the universe. Despite their abundance (around 100 trillion neutrinos pass through the human body every second), neutrinos remain elusive and have unique properties that contribute to the structure of atoms, molecules, stars, and galaxies.
While three types of neutrinos are currently known (Muon, electronic, and tau-neutrino), scientists suspect the existence of a fourth type – the “sterile” neutrino, which has proven challenging to detect. SBND aims to confirm the presence of this elusive particle.
Physicist Andrew Mastbaum from the University of Ratgers emphasized the significance of neutrinos in addressing fundamental questions about nature at the micro level, such as the quest for a comprehensive theory or the understanding of the abundance of matter in the Universe.
After almost a decade of development, the SBND detector has been operational, containing 112 tons of liquid argon to capture neutrino interactions through weak nuclear force. Together with global detectors like ICECUBE in Antarctica, SBND will enhance our understanding of neutrinos.
Collaborating with the ICARUS detector established in 2017, SBND will analyze particle accelerator-generated rays to detect neutrino interactions. These detectors are expected to register up to 7000 interactions per day, a remarkable feat given the rarity of such occurrences.
Scientists believe that SBND and ICARUS hold promise in discovering new types of neutrinos and anomalies that challenge the existing physics model, potentially shedding light on dark matter mysteries.
Previous experiments with neutrinos have posed numerous questions, and researchers are optimistic that with advanced technologies, they will finally uncover some long-awaited answers.