Calcium isotope may hold the secret to the mass of neutrinos
Tuesday, April 12, 2016 - 18:30
in Physics & Chemistry
Scientists around the world are being kept in suspense by the negligible mass of neutrinos, subatomic particles that could be matter and antimatter at the same time. Now, researchers have used one of the world's most powerful computers to analyze a special decay of calcium-48, whose life, which lasts trillions of years, depends on the unknown mass of neutrinos. This advance will facilitate the detection of this rare decay in underground laboratories.