The Large Hadron Collider – CERN
Recently, neutrinos have been detected for the first time at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
Neutrinos are small, neutral and elementary particles that interact with matter through a weak force.
The weakness of this force gives neutrinos the property that matter becomes almost transparent to them. Neutrinos belong to the lepton family. These are of three types. In these, one is attached to the electron and the others are associated with the muon and tau.
It is to be noted that the Sun and all other stars produce neutrinos in abundance due to nuclear fusion and decay processes in their cores.
Rarely interacting, neutrinos are able to pass through the Sun and Earth unhindered.
Why Do Neutrino Matter?
- The study of neutrinos can provide information related to the origin of the universe and the production of energy in stars.
- Moving beyond the core of the Earth, neutrinos may have a potential application in the detailed investigation of its structure.
- LHC researchers are also hoping to detect dark photons, which are hypothetical at the moment.
- Dark photons will help investigate how dark matter interacts with normal atoms and other matter in the universe.
- Recently, India has also submitted a proposal to set up a neutrino observatory at Bodi West Hills in Theni district of Tamil Nadu.
About the LHC
- It is the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research.
- It is capable of accelerating particles up to 99.99 percent of the speed of light and causing them to collide with each other.
- It is noteworthy that in the year 2012, researchers at the LHC announced the discovery of the Higgs boson.
Source – The Hindu
