Neutrinos

Prof. Tracy Slatyer and Prof. Janet Conrad speak with Scientific American reporter Clara Moskowitz about their favorite discoveries in the field of physics. Slatyer notes that “the accelerating expansion of the universe has to be a strong contender.” For Conrad, “I think my favorite event in physics was the prediction of the existence of the neutrino [a subatomic particle with no charge and very little mass] because so much of our fundamental approach to physics today grew out of that moment.”

Researchers have placed an upper mass limit on the subatomic particle called neutrino, reports Robert Lea for Newsweek. “The idea of using radioactive decays to measure neutrino masses is as old as the idea of the neutrino itself, says Prof. Joseph Formaggio. “But only now do we have the capabilities to make use of the techniques to extra the neutrino mass with such precision.”

Quanta Magazine reporter Thomas Lewton spotlights Prof. Janet Conrad’s work on MiniBooNE, a neutrino particle detector that was in operation from 2002 until 2019.

Using data on subatomic particles called neutrinos from Antarctica’s IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a team including MIT researchers has determined that Einstein’s theory of special relativity is correct. “Neutrinos had not yet been discovered when Einstein died, but his theory still predicts their behavior,” explains Kimberly Hickok for LiveScience.

In recent weeks, several groups of scientists have proven three of Einstein’s theories, reports Aristos Georgiou of Newsweek. Highlighting a team of researchers led by MIT Prof. Janet Conrad that proved Lorentz symmetry, Georgiou writes that their work “has shown that the great German physicist’s theory of special relativity applies even to tiny, high-energy subatomic particles known as neutrinos.”

A team of researchers, including MIT physicists, has detected evidence of a new elementary particle called a “sterile” neutrino, writes Natalie Wolchover for The Washington Post. “The existence of a sterile neutrino would revolutionize physics from the smallest to the largest scales.” Wolchover explains.

Prof. Janet Conrad speaks with NPR's Joe Palca about her work detecting a new particle called the sterile neutrino. To find the particle, Conrad and her colleagues shot a beam of neutrinos into a container of mineral oil and identified an extra signal. Conrad explains, “to have an extra signal you need to somehow introduce an extra neutrino.”

Prof. Janet Conrad discusses what inspired her to study neutrinos, her hunt for the elusive “sterile” neutrino, and her work on the Ghostbusters reboot in this article published by Wired. Conrad notes that “serious research can be a lot of fun. Being fun doesn’t make it less important—those are not mutually exclusive.”

Boston Globe reporter Felicia Gans writes that a number of MIT researchers have been honored “by the Breakthrough Prize organization, which honors scientists worldwide for their pioneering research.”

Tina Casey reports for Popular Science that several MIT researchers have been honored with Breakthrough Prizes. Casey writes that Prof. Edward Boyden was honored for his work creating optogenetics, Prof. Joseph Formaggio and his team were honored for their research on neutrinos, and Profs. Larry Guth and Liang Fu won New Horizons Prizes. 

MIT researchers have developed a new detector that can identify individual neutrons, reports Brid-Aine Parnell for Forbes. “While being able to spot an electron with such a small detector is major step forward in itself, it also takes the team further down the road of being able to measure the mass of a neutrino,” Parnell writes. 

UPI reporter Brooks Hays writes that a team of MIT researchers has developed a tabletop device that can detect electrons and could potentially be used discover the mass of neutrinos. “Researchers recently used the device to observe the behavior of more than 100,000 electrons from decaying krypton gas,” Hays writes.