Neutrino oscillation phenomenon, of non zero mass (even if very small).
One of the most interesting results of the last decade has been the evidence, by means of the detection of the The study of the intrinsic properties of neutrinos is of primary interest for elementary particle physics. The discovery of neutrino oscillations, which was observed among others by the MACRO experiment, GALLEX, GNO, OPERA, Icarus and Borexino, all placed in the Gran Sasso National Laboratories, has opened the way towards precision measurements on the nature and the behavior of this elusive particle. The quantitative observation of the neutrino has provided for now the only experimental evidence of the existence of physics beyond the standard model of elementary particles. This is due to the fact that the different flavors of emitted neutrinos undergo characteristic reactions with the nuclei composing these telescopes. A unique feature of the telescopes hosted at the Gran Sasso National Laboratories is their ability to measure all neutrino flavors. In fact, it is the neutrinos to allow the star releasing the huge amount of excess energy, equal to 10-20% of its total mass. neutron stars, black holes or perhaps even a quark star), giving rise to supernovae by gravitational collapse. Neutrino telescopes (as for instance the Large Volume Detector (LVD) and Borexino), are able to observe the final moments in the life of the biggest stars of our galaxy, when they collapse under their own weight, producing compact stellar objects (e.g. The Sun is of special importance in astronomy, being the closest star and providing the ideal test bench on which to check the validity of our theories. These neutrinos make up for the biggest part of neutrinos produced in the Sun and are directly linked to its radiation energy. The experiment Borexino published in 2014 the first direct measurement of the low-energy neutrinos generated by proton fusion reactions in the nucleus of the Sun. In recent years the Gran Sasso National Laboratories maintained their leadership in this field. The experiment GALLEX (1991-1997) was one of the first in the world in the field of neutrino astronomy measuring the total flux of low energy solar neutrinos. In fact, their enormously penetrating power allows exploring the core of the Sun, where nuclear reactions provide the solar energy that we observe in the form of light.Īt the Gran Sasso National Laboratories some of the pioneering experiments in this field have been done. The measurement of the particular characteristics of neutrino propagation (neutrino oscillations), the study of the information that neutrinos bring to us from celestial objects near and far (neutrino astronomy) and the determination of the intrinsic characteristics of this particle (Double Beta Decay and Majorana neutrino) are since many years fundamental pieces of the prolific scientific activity in the underground laboratories.Īmong all fields of astronomy, the one that studies neutrinos has unique and amazing characteristics. Since from their start, to study the properties of neutrinos was one of the major research interests within the Gran Sasso National Laboratories. Neutrinos are perhaps the most elusive particles in our universe and yet we are surrounded and perpetually bombarded by them.
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