MadSci Network: Astronomy |
There are currently several neutrino detectors/telescopes in operation, with many different types of experiments running. I will assume you are inquiring about the experiments relevant to the solar neutrino problem. And a real problem it is, as the cumulative data from four different detectors around the world have now shown: the number of neutrinos detected is far less than the number predicted by the "standard solar model". This has often led to a questioning of this model (which seems well-confirmed by helioseismology experiments), but the latest data show that there are discrepancies between the data from different detectors which cannot be explained by even drastic errors in the solar model. The best conclusion thus seems to be that the "standard model" of electroweak theory is wrong, and needs the addition of some "new physics", (e.g. flavor oscillations in non-massless neutrinos). There are some new experiments which will check some of the predictions of these new models, and may thus resolve the problem in the near future. For more information, see The Neutrino Oscillation Industry or Implications of Solar Neutrino Experiments. -Aaron
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