Explore the fascinating world of particle physics in this 57-minute conference talk from the World Science Festival. Delve into the mysteries of neutrinos, matter, and antimatter as leading particle physicists discuss their quest to detect an incredibly rare neutrino event that could explain the existence of our matter-filled universe. Learn about the discovery of antimatter, Majorana particles, and the experiments designed to detect neutrinoless double-beta decay. Discover the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, various types of neutrinos, and the challenges of running experiments underground. Gain insights into the potential implications of detecting or failing to detect neutrinoless double-beta decay, and explore the current limits of detector technology. Engage with expert discussions on the annihilation of matter and antimatter, and predictions for future discoveries in this cutting-edge field of scientific research.
Overview
Syllabus
- Panelist Introductions
- How was antimatter discovered?
- Conditions required to detect antimatter
- What are Majorana particles?
- Who was Ettore Majorana?
- How would we know if a neutrino is a Majorana particle?
- Experiments for detecting neutrinoless double-beta decay
- When did we start looking for neutrinos?
- IceCube Neutrino Observatory
- Other types of neutrinos
- Detecting neutrinos from the sun
- How did we figure out how to detect neutrinoless double-beta decay?
- How far are we from producing results from the research?
- GERDA experiment
- How big of a deal would it be if we detect neutrinoless double-beta decay?
- What would it mean if neutrinoless double-beta decay doesn’t exist?
- Are we at the limit of the size of our detectors?
- Running experiments underground
- Predictions of when the decay will be seen
- Is there any evidence of the annihilation of matter and antimatter?
Taught by
World Science Festival
