KATRIN tightens the net around the elusive sterile neutrino
Neutrinos, though nearly invisible, are among the most numerous matter particles in the Universe. The Standard Model recognizes three types, but the discovery of neutrino oscillations revealed they have mass and can change identity while propagating. For decades, puzzling experimental anomalies have suggested the presence of a fourth, sterile neutrino, one that interacts even more weakly. Finding it would transform our understanding of particle physics.
In a new study, published in Nature, the KATRIN collaboration presents the most precise direct search for sterile neutrinos through measurements of tritium β-decay.
The ...