Why are neutrinos always lefthanded?

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In summary, a neutrino is a subatomic particle that has a neutral charge and is nearly massless. It is classified as a lefthanded particle, meaning it spins counterclockwise. This is a fundamental property that is not fully understood, especially in light of recent experiments showing that neutrinos have a small amount of mass. Scientists study neutrinos using large detectors to gather information about their properties, including their handedness. The fact that neutrinos are strictly lefthanded has important implications for our understanding of the universe, suggesting a difference between matter and antimatter that could explain the predominance of matter in the universe.
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Sergio.Leoni
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Posted in quantum physics, maybe wrong session.

Neutrinos are massive particles, so that i would expect that their helicity depends on coordinate system. Why are they lefthanded at all times?
I heard that in decays righthanded neutrinos are suppressed by a factor (1-beta)/2, but i don't know why.
 
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  • #2
Neutrinos can have either helicity. The left-handedness refers to their chirality.
 
  • #3
The W boson does not attach to the right neutrinos, only to the left ones.
 

Related to Why are neutrinos always lefthanded?

1. What is a neutrino?

A neutrino is a subatomic particle that has a neutral charge and is nearly massless. It is one of the fundamental particles that make up matter.

2. What does it mean for a neutrino to be lefthanded?

Particles are classified as either lefthanded or righthanded based on their spin, or intrinsic angular momentum. Lefthanded particles spin in a counterclockwise direction, while righthanded particles spin in a clockwise direction.

3. Why are neutrinos always lefthanded?

This is a fundamental property of neutrinos that is not fully understood. In the Standard Model of particle physics, neutrinos are described as being massless, and only massless particles can be strictly lefthanded. However, recent experiments have shown that neutrinos do have a small amount of mass, which challenges this explanation.

4. How do scientists study neutrinos and their handedness?

Scientists study neutrinos using large detectors, such as the Super-Kamiokande detector in Japan, which can detect the rare interactions of neutrinos with other particles. By studying the interactions of neutrinos, scientists can gather information about their properties, including their handedness.

5. What are the implications of neutrinos being lefthanded?

The fact that neutrinos are strictly lefthanded has important implications for our understanding of the universe. It suggests that there is a fundamental difference between matter and antimatter, as antimatter particles would be strictly righthanded. This could help explain why the universe is predominantly made up of matter, rather than antimatter.

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