Neutrino Physics

BBC News: Light shed on mysterious particle.

Physicists have confirmed that neutrinos, which are thought to have played a key role during the creation of the Universe, have mass.  This is the first major finding of the US-based Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search (Minos) experiment.  The findings suggest that the Standard Model, which describes how the building blocks of the Universe behave and interact, needs a revision.  Neutrinos are believed to be vital to our understanding of the Universe.  But scientists know frustratingly little about these fundamental particles.  The findings build on work carried out by Japanese physicists.

This is big news.  You don't just revise the Standard Model for nothing.  Neutrinos are supposed to be massless and this is going to change a lot of theory.  This is amazing!

I got an invitation from Surrey University on Friday because the Physics department is 100 years old this year.  I wish I could go, three of my favourite lecturers are speaking, Paddy Regan (nuclear astrophysics), Wilton Catford (modern physics), and Jim Al-Khalili (quantum mechanics).  I wonder if they'll mention neutrinos.