mathman said:The electron neutrino has the smallest non-zero mass of all known particles.
Parlyne said:The electron neutrino doesn't have a well-defined mass. It's a superposition of the three neutrino mass eigenstates, the lightest of which is the lightest know fermion. However, it is not know whether the lightest neutrino has a non-zero mass.
chrispb said:If the lightest neutrino had zero mass, then the determinant of the mass matrix would be 0 and neutrino oscillations would not occur.
Parlyne said:You are correct that the determinant would be 0; however, I believe that you are incorrect that that would eliminate oscillations. As far as I know, the only ways to prevent oscillations are to set mixing angles to 0 or to make neutrino mass states degenerate. Neither of these possibilities are guaranteed by a 0 determinant.
An electron neutrino is a subatomic particle that belongs to the family of leptons, which are fundamental particles that do not experience strong nuclear interactions. It is the lightest and most stable of the three known types of neutrinos and is associated with the electron.
An electron neutrino is different from other neutrinos in terms of its mass, charge, and interactions with other particles. It has the smallest mass among the three known types of neutrinos and carries no electric charge. It also only interacts through the weak nuclear force, making it difficult to detect.
"Beyond the electron neutrino" refers to the possibility of other types of neutrinos that have not yet been discovered. Scientists are constantly studying and searching for new particles, and there is a possibility that there may be more types of neutrinos beyond the three currently known.
Scientists are studying beyond the electron neutrino through various experiments, such as the Large Hadron Collider and neutrino oscillation experiments. These experiments involve colliding particles or studying the behavior of neutrinos to gather data and look for any anomalies that could indicate the existence of new types of neutrinos.
The discovery of new types of neutrinos would have significant implications for our understanding of the universe and the fundamental particles that make it up. It could also potentially lead to new technologies and advancements in fields such as particle physics and astrophysics. Additionally, it could help answer some of the unanswered questions in physics, such as the nature of dark matter and the reason for the asymmetry between matter and antimatter in the universe.