Neutrino Experiment: Breakthrough or a Human Failure

Scientists at CERN ( European Organization for Nuclear Research) explore many aspects of the

microworlds, starting from the atomic nucleus to the mysteries of antimatter. They have many powerful

devices, including the Large Hadron Collider, which has two beams that send particles in opposite

directions so they can collide and then produce the results that can be measured by scientist. Last

month CERN set out an experiment to study neutrino interactions in different elements. The results

were shocking.

So what are neutrino? Neutrino are very tiny subatomic particles that are very similar to an

electron, but have no electrical charge and a very small mass, which might even be zero(1).

There are three kinds of neutrino, each kind relates to its own charged particle: an electron

(Ve), a muon (Vµ, an unstable subatomic particle like an electron, but with a mass around 200

times greater), and a tau (Vt , an unstable subatomic particle like an electron, but with a mass

around 3,500 greater than electron). It is one of the most abundant particles in the universe.

Since neutrino don't have a charge they are not affected by electromagnetic forces and are able to

pass through matter very quickly, almost unaffected. They were created from the Big Bang and are now

being created by radiation decay or nuclear reactions that are mostly found in the Sun(3). To give you an

idea of how small they are, by the time you finish reading this paragraph around 10 quintillion ( 10

trillion billions) of them will pass through your body. However, only 1 of those quintillion neutrino will

more than likely interact with an atom in your body(2). Because of how weakly these particles interact

with others it is very difficult to study them.

After getting acknowledged with neutrino, lets look at the experiment performed at CERN. In

September of 2011, CERN has performed OPERA experiment (Oscillation Project with Emulsion-

tracking Apparatus). OPERA is a way of detecting tau neutrino from muon neutrino oscillation, which

means that a neutrino can morph between their different flavors (quantum numbers of elementary

particles). The muon neutrino were sourced between French's and Switzerland's border and detected in
Italy. After the computations, it turned out that it took neutrino 60 nanoseconds less than it would

require light to travel the same distance in a vaccum(4). Scientists have calculated a 10 nanoseconds

margin of error, which still doesn't drastically affect the outcome of the experiment(5). CERN has been

checking their experiment for errors and flaws in the past month and encourages others to repeat their

experiment.

The discoveries made by CERN challenge the famous Einstein's special relativity theory( theory

that gives laws of motion for any particle) and E=mc2 formula. Einstein proposed that c, speed of light, is

a constant and is universally the fastest speed, light travels at 168,000 miles per second. Since neutrino,

in this experiment, traveled faster than the speed of light, some of Einstein's theories will be disproven

and the possibility of traveling back into the future will be made possible. If the experiment will be

replicated and verified, it would also mean, that many fundamental formulas that tend to explain the

universe will be rewritten. After month of studying and re-checking the results the scientists at CERN

have no explanation for the results. With results of such magnitude have to be independently verified

and cannot be taken as facts at the moment.

The conclusion that we can draw from this is that CERN has found unexpected results using of

the most amazing and precise techniques and instruments in the world. This leaves us with a

doubt that there was an error, but its just mind boggling to think that an entire century of formulas and

laws can be so easily challenged after one experiment. As one of the scientists who studied neutrino

said ''If 100 years ago someone told me the universe was filled with massless charged particles that have

no mass or energy, I would have laughed. Who knows where we'll be in 100 years from now''. I find

these discoveries fascinating, yesterday I had a speech about time traveling and almost every source of

information said that going back in time breaks every known physical and chemical law, with this

discovery it is now made possible.

 Works Cited

1) http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-is-a-neutrino . 7 September 1999.

What is a Neutrino? Scientific American. 30 October 2011.
2) http://www.physorg.com/news111769019.html . 16 October 2007. Probing Questions: What is
a Neutrino? Physorg. 30 October 2011.
3) http://icecube.wisc.edu/info/neutrinos . All About Neutrinos. Ice Cube. 30 October 2011.
4) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44629271/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/neutrinos-
clocked-moving-faster-than-light-speed/#.TrCFVEOAqU9 . 22 September 2011. Neutrinos
clocked moving faster than the speed of light. Science of msncbc. 30 October 2011.
5) http://www.forextv.com/forex-news-story/speed-of-light-broken-in-neutrino-experiment . 23
September 2011. Speed of Light Broken in a Neutrino Experiment. Forex. 30 October 2011.