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from the if-it-doesn't-exist-we-would-need-to-create-it dept.
Sterile neutrinos (or inert neutrinos) are hypothetical particles (neutral leptons – neutrinos) that interact only via gravity and do not interact via any of the other fundamental interactions of the Standard Model. The term sterile neutrino is used to distinguish them from the known active neutrinos in the Standard Model, which are charged under the weak interaction.
From the Phys.Org article:
Dr Justin Evans, senior lecturer in particle physics at The University of Manchester, said the elusive 'sterile' neutrino, if proven to exist, has the potential to unlock the great mysteries of our Universe – even potentially explaining why we exist as we do. Researchers believe identifying this new particle would be even more significant than locating the original so-called 'God particle', the Higgs boson.
As part of an international collaboration Dr Evans has been the Physics Coordinator on the MINOS experiment, leading the experiment's physics programme. As well as leading this part of the MINOS collaboration he also coordinated the research combination with another programme called Daya Bay.
--The MINOS experiment uses an intense beam of muon neutrinos that travels 735 km from the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Chicago to the Soudan Underground Laboratory in northern Minnesota. MINOS has made world-leading measurements to study how these neutrinos disappear as they travel between the two detectors.
--The Daya Bay experiment looks at electron antineutrinos coming from a nuclear power plant in the Guangdong province of China. The Daya Bay project measured, for the first time, one of the parameters governing neutrino oscillations.
...
"The sterile neutrino could explain the puzzle of why the neutrino is so much lighter - by orders of magnitude - than any other massive particle. It could help to explain why the universe contains more matter than antimatter, ie help to explain why we exist as we do. And, if the sterile neutrino is heavy enough, it could even be part of the solution for the dark matter puzzle."
'God Particle' is taken. How about 'Satan Particle?'
(Score: 2) by melikamp on Friday October 28 2016, @01:42PM
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 28 2016, @01:55PM
That would be "scalar boson". Just like a spin 1 particle is a "vector boson".
The problem is, we don't know for sure that Higgs is the only scalar boson. If some day it turned out that there are other scalar bosons that are not associated with the Higgs mechanism, the term would get problematic. For example, the inflaton (the inflaton field is supposed to have driven the inflation phase during big bang, and may or may not be identical with the Higgs field) is also assumed to be a scalar boson.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Immerman on Friday October 28 2016, @01:56PM
Yeah, but the Jacob-Marley-Fytrfg-Ksfbh-Hasiugf-Msdvcak-Nadlyjvgf-Walsdgf-Xsdkjf-................. particle just doesn't roll off the tongue as easily, and can you imagine how long the papers would be? Heck, just refer to the particle by name and you've exceeded the 20 page minimum for your undergrad essay.
So realistically, what are you going to do? Name it for the guy who first theorized it existed? Something random? Or for one of the many people who were mostly looking for *anything* at higher energy levels, with the Higgs just giving them some possible convenient energies to suspect something might exist at?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by N3Roaster on Friday October 28 2016, @09:41PM
Sell corporate naming rights to the particle. If we can't have good names for these things they may as well at least get some funding out of it.
Typica - Free software for coffee roasting professionals. [typica.us]
(Score: 4, Funny) by Thexalon on Friday October 28 2016, @02:33PM
Because then people will start calling it the "O'Reilly Particle" after Bill O'Reilly?
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2, Touché) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday October 28 2016, @04:37PM
No they won't. I've never seen a whiny, red-faced, apoplectic Higgs boson before.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 28 2016, @10:13PM
The "Cut his mike!" Particle.