Antineutrinos: Fact, or a Myth Perpetrated by the Right?

[OperaTenor]

I'm going to persevere with this topic, even though my intuition's telling me there won't be a lot of participation.......

[Shapley]

...I believe in antineutrinos, I believe in antineutrinos, I believe in antineutrinos [clap]

[OperaTenor]

Originally posted by Shapley:
...I believe in antineutrinos, I believe in antineutrinos, I believe in antineutrinos [clap]

Ha! See what I mean?!

[BigJon@Work]

Stranger things have happened!

[shostakovich]

Hey, if it's bad and we can blame Bush, I'll go with it.
U NO HOO

[piqaboo]

Strangelet things have happened, too! (Maybe).


Perhaps antineutrinos and strangelets are like fairies in PeterPan - you have to believe or they cease to exist. Shap believes, so one lucky antineutrino has a shot at existence!

[OperaTenor]

Pity the poor antineutrino assigned to me!

[Shapley]

According to this site:

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/particles/neutrino.html

Antineutrinos have actually been observed interacting with matter in nature.

I think I saw something about it on Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom.

V/R
Shapley

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

and then there's the quarkie things that come in charmed, strange, up, and down varieties...

And they say geeks have no sense of humor.

[Shapley]

Oh, I'm sure they have them rolling in the aisles over at the milk bar....

[OperaTenor]

It's funny. The article Shap linked has antineutrinos in the title, but there is no mention of them in the text.

Oh yeah, and even neutrinos have only been experimentally observed, which is of course to sat they have never been actually observed.

I still contend, anything that is hypothesized to take 20 light-years of lead to attenuate is merely someone's fantasy.

Now, for quarks. What a silly name! Anything with a name that silly doesn't exsist, either.

These guys are just having us on and making it all up!

I wonder what's really in their milk.............

:p

[Shapley]

OT,

This was in the article, even thought it isn't much:

The first experimental observation of the neutrino interacting with matter was made by Frederick Reines, Clyde Cowan, Jr, and collaborators in 1956 at the Savannah River Plant in South Carolina. Their neutrino source was a nuclear reactor (it actually produced antineutrinos from beta decay).

There was also this, by following the "beta decay" link:

Early studies of beta decay revealed a continuous energy spectrum up to a maximum, unlike the predictable energy of alpha particles. Another anomaly was the fact that the nuclear recoil was not in the the direction opposite the momentum of the electron. The emission of another particle was a probable explanation of this behavior, but searches found no evidence of either mass or charge. Pauli in 1930 proposed a particle called a neutrino which could carry away the missing energy and momentum. With no charge and no mass, it was hard to detect, and not until 1953 was experimental detection of the neutrino achieved. For symmetry reasons, the particle emitted along with the electron from nuclei is called an antineutrino. The emission of a positron is accompanied by a neutrino.

V/R
Shapley

[OperaTenor]

I didn't look at the "Beta Decay" link.

Nope, not buyin' it. An "experimental" observation of a "postulated" particle? Pfaff! Thay're makin' it all up!

Pauli's lab in 1930:

Lab Assistant(shrugs):"I don't know, boss. It's apparent the reaction didn't behave the way the calculations predicted. It's as if the Law of Conservation of Energy didn't apply here. The energy must've gone somewhere.....

Pauli(scratches head): "There simply must be an explanation for this, but it's late and I'll miss my dinner if I stick around and try to figure this out. Tell you what, let's say there's this mysterious particle that's really hard to detect. 20 light-years of lead sounds like a good, round, astronomical figure no one will question because no respectable scientist would make up a number that absurd. Besides, who's gonna prove us wrong, at least until we get the Nobel?"

Lab Ass't: "So, what'll we call it?"

Pauli: "Well, it should at least sound nuclear, and I'm thinking it ought to have a little passion. Who better than the Italians to sound passionate?"

LA: "How about 'neutron'?.................Oh, wait, that one's already taken, isn't it?"

Pauli: "I've got it! Let's make it sound like an Italian neutron! How about 'neutrino'?! I think it's got a ring to it."

LA: "Oh yeah, that'll be catchy. Next thing you know, everyone'll be talking about them."

Pauli: "Yeah, and we can have antineutrinos, too. Let's embellish a little: We'll say that neutrinos accompany positrons, and antineutrinos accompany electrons in a reaction. Yeah, I think the whole 'anti' bit should go along with the negative charge. Makes it seem downright scholarly."

LA: "Brilliant! No wonder you're in charge!"

Pauli: "We just gotta make sure this remains our little secret. Now, let's go get some grub."


- As told by Karl Rove

<small>[ 09-08-2005, 06:11 PM: Message edited by: OperaTenor ]</small>

[BigJon@Work]

Altoid must be asleep.

[Shapley]

OT,

I think it's a "baby neutron", or "neutron bambino", later shortened to "neutrino". Of course, since it was not observed, but the laws of physics anticipated its existence, it was called an "anticipated neutron bambino", or "antineutrino", for short.

V/R
Shapley

Oh, and by the way, I agree with you on the attenuation issue Did I say that??? . I think 18.823 light years would do the job just fine.

<small>[ 09-09-2005, 11:25 AM: Message edited by: Shapley ]</small>

[zlosin]

Originally posted by Shapley:



I think I saw something about it on Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom.

V/R
Shapley

Marlin: We will sit safely here in our helicopter while Jim battles for his life with the Antineutrinos.
Speaking of life, Mutual of Omaha protects...

/loved that show

[Shapley]

...It may take 20 light-years of lead to attenuate a ravaging anti-neutrino, but you can attenuate the damage to your life for much less with Mutual of Omaha...

Yes, that was the original informercial...

[OperaTenor]

"anticipated neutron bambino"

[Shapley]

OT,

There seemed to be a pregnant pause on the thread before anyone responded to that one. I wondered if I had fluxed it up.

V/R
Shapley

[piqaboo]

Nope.It was great! It just took me this long to get around to reading it.
And hey buddy, whatcha your language, ya know whatta I mean?!!!!?