{"id":41803,"date":"2023-02-14T14:43:17","date_gmt":"2023-02-14T14:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=41803"},"modified":"2023-02-16T09:21:13","modified_gmt":"2023-02-16T09:21:13","slug":"qa-with-a-particle-physicist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/2023\/02\/14\/qa-with-a-particle-physicist\/","title":{"rendered":"Q&A with a particle physicist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Melissa Brobby interviews Elena Gramellini <\/p>\n\n

Q&A with a particle physicist<\/h2>\n\n

Neutrinos \u2013 almost massless, neutral particles \u2013 could help explain why the Universe didn\u2019t just disappear in a flash of light after the Big Bang <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
DUNE, the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment currently under construction in the USA, will produce the most intense beam of neutrinos ever constructed <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Why is the study of neutrinos important? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Neutrinos are truly fundamental particles. They are some of the elementary building blocks of our Universe. They come in three different types: tau, muon and electron neutrinos. In the 1960s, theoretical physicists wrote the rule book on particle interactions \u2013 known as the \u2018standard model\u2019 \u2013 which has been very solid for more than 50 years now. Yet, neutrinos break the rules. <\/p>\n\n

How does neutrino behaviour break the rules?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

They were assumed to be massless, and yet we have experimental proof that they do carry a tiny mass, thanks to the observation of \u2018neutrino oscillations\u2019, a phenomenon that makes neutrinos change flavour, so to speak, during their propagation. For example, most neutrinos from the Sun are electron neutrinos, but about two-thirds turn into one of the other two types by the time they get to Earth. Their behaviour could help explain why the Universe did not simply disappear in a flash of light just after the Big Bang. <\/p>\n\n

What is it about neutrino behaviour that could tell us about the early Universe?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Neutrinos could help answer the matter\u2013antimatter asymmetry problem. We know that antimatter exists, but we live in a Universe that\u2019s overwhelmingly made of matter. This is strange because there\u2019s nothing that makes matter special compared to antimatter, in terms of fundamental interactions. They should have been created in equal parts in the early Universe. It must be that there\u2019s a mechanism where for every billion particles of antimatter, a billion plus one particles of matter were created \u2013 a violation of the symmetry between matter and antimatter. <\/p>\n\n

We know the fundamental components of protons, quarks, are partly responsible, but not enough to explain the overwhelming difference between matter and antimatter we see. By studying the oscillation patterns of neutrinos, we can understand how neutrinos contribute to this violation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

How can studying neutrino oscillation patterns unlock this secret?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Experiments such as the Short Baseline Neutrino programme will tell us if a fourth kind of \u2018hidden\u2019 neutrino exists. Future experiments \u2013 such as the next international flagship experiment, Fermilab\u2019s DUNE (Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment) that I\u2019m working on \u2013 will be able to shed light on the matter\u2013antimatter asymmetry in the Universe. These experiments are based on accelerator neutrinos. At Fermilab, we produce beams of neutrinos and build detectors along their path to record interactions at different distances from the origin point. By counting the number of interactions at different distances, we measure the oscillation pattern. <\/p>\n\n

That sounds challenging.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Yes, counting neutrino interactions is quite tricky! Neutrinos are neutral, which means we can study them only if they interact. While they are the most abundant massive particle in the Universe, their probability of interaction is extremely small. So we need to build huge detectors to record a meaningful number of interactions. <\/p>\n\n

You\u2019re developing new technology for DUNE. What will it do and what new findings could it unlock? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

I\u2019m developing a Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) with a powerful light-collection system. If selected, this technology will help us reach DUNE\u2019s goals faster, but mostly we expect it to enhance our understanding at low energies. This will unlock DUNE\u2019s potential in seeing neutrinos from the Sun and supernovae, as well as efficiently recognising proton decay events \u2013 an observation long coveted but never observed. <\/p>\n\n

How is that process going?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

It\u2019s a collaborative effort. We\u2019re now working on proof-of-principle designs to ensure the viability of LArTPC\u2019s new sensors and characterise their performance. We\u2019ll then move to medium-scale prototypes where we\u2019ll record real neutrino interactions. This will allow us to put our technology to the test in a real physics environment. <\/p>\n\n

\n\n
\"\"

<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Dr Elena Gramellini is a Lederman Fellow at Fermilab whose field of research is experimental particle physics and neutrino detectors. <\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

<\/div>\n\n

PHOTO: FERMI NATIONAL ACCELERATOR LABORATORY<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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