How do we know neutrinos have mass? #shorts

How do we know neutrinos have mass? Stay tuned as the DUNE collaboration answers more questions submitted by our followers!
#AskFermilab #AskDUNE #neutrino #DUNEscience #fermilab#physics #Neutrinos101

[TheOtherSteel]

The standard model predicts that neutrinos have no mass. It also predicts that mass from the Higgs field is provided through right-hand chirality, and no right-hand neutrinos have been detected.

What are the technical details behind there being difficulty in measuring a neutrino's mass (or lack) directly?

[populer]

How does oscillating between flavors mean they have to have some mass?

[GMPranav]

These quick shorts are really informative and insightful!

[luudest]

What about mass and energy conservation when they oscillate?

[tiberiusgracchus]

I know neutrinos have mass because I can feel them hitting me in the trillions. It itches.

[dw]

Basically to try to explain neutrino oscillations some physicists specilated maybe they have a mass and that could explain the oscillations, so its a possibility, not necessarily final result ? Like are there any other phenomenon that would be possible only with massive neutrinos

[crisin]

cant we say they have mass because they dont move at the speed of light?

[michaelmcgowan]

This explanation may be satisfying for those who understand the physics, but for the layperson it just begs the question. Im sure Kevin could explain it given more time.

The explanation that I have read is that neutrino oscillation could only occur if neutrinos experienced time. If they were massless like a photon they wouldn't experience time and therefore couldn't oscillate.

[mpjstuff]

"Neutrinos can change -- and that can only be explained if they have mass." Really? Maybe we need to go back and see if we can tag quantum particles before we also label those "flavors'" because has anyone ever verified that these particles are the SAME particles, or they just swap tags? I'm asking because I don't know; do we have any way to keep track of these particles before and after detection, or are we just assuming this all along that they STAY as these particle types? I think in this situation, we learn that a particle changes, and might be assuming that's not the norm.

[sumsii]

Does a thought have mass?
Can (your) thoughts change?

[thehand]

Can i work at fermilab? What the people that work at fermilab do?

[teezettsb]

They must have mass cause they travel below light speed

[just_kos]

Could neutrinos be the dark matter we keep looking for, if they have mass? I know they're everywhere.

[cccaaa]

Lesson in how to answer a question without answering the question at all.

[Lucius_Chiaraviglio]

What if our assumption that neutrinos have to have mass to oscillate is just wrong?

[guff]

Fermilab employees are really bad at explaining anything. Seems they're happy enough to be grabbing your hard earned tax $$$ though

[ryanmurray]

All this science hocus-pocus! The Bible and Donald Trump are all the science I need! I can’t even pretend to be one of them! I now feel dirty!