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“The quest for the nature of the neutrino: particle/antiparticle, or neither?"

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Thursday, 22 Oct 2020

Video-Recording for any system with MP4-support

- Video.mp4 (ca.349 Mb)

15:15 – 16:15

Abstract:

The Standard Model of particle physics is silent on whether the neutrino is its own

antiparticle or not. The only practical experimental approach to this question lies

in the search for neutrinoless double beta decay, an extremely rare second-order

transition allowed only if the neutrino has non-zero rest mass and is its own

antiparticle. The discovery of neutrino oscillations has demonstrated that neutrinos

do have a tiny but non-zero neutrino rest mass and has set a scale for experimental

searches. All experiments struggle to mitigate backgrounds from radioactivity that

can mimic signal. A diverse variety of experimental approaches has been developed

around a half-dozen isotopes that offer appealing properties for the search.

A robust positive signal found, in any isotope, will have profound implications for

particle physics and cosmology. I will describe the uses of the isotope 136Xe within

the broad global race toward discovery.

Speaker today: David Nygren (University of Texas at Arlington)