Saturday 1 March 2014

Research paper abstract: "Neutrinos"



Particle physics is one of the most advanced fields in modern science. Many products that we use in our daily lives were developed thanks to the discoveries of particle physics, from the microwave in your kitchen to the computers in your school.

But even at the forefront of technological progress and new scientific methodologies there are still many unsolved questions about the Universe. Why is the Universe the way it is? How did its beginning, the Big Bang, occur? 

The neutrinos, a special kind of subatomic particles, are promising candidates to find the answer to these puzzles. Due to their special properties, even within the mysterious world of quantum physics, experiments with neutrinos are getting more and more relevant, in particular nowadays since more sophisticated technologies are available.

My research project consists of an introduction (beginning from the basics) into particle physics, a concrete study of neutrinos underlining their unique traits and the history of neutrino science and a report of three practical tasks: a visit to the Laboratori Subterrani de Canfranc, an oral interview with a scientist working at the South Pole at the project IceCube and a collaboration with the Spanish physicist Federico Sanchez in relation to the T2K experiment located in Japan including calculations using real data from the experiment.

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