Finding Neutrinos - Sixty Symbols

Scientists detect the abundant (yet elusive) "pp neutrinos" created in the sun. Discussed by Professor Michael Merrifield from the University of Nottingham.

This project features scientists from The University of Nottingham

Sixty Symbols videos by Brady Haran

[RC_Engineering]

Thanks Brady for making these amazing Youtube channels.

[artswri]

Amazing, one fascinating tidbit after another! Thanks to professor M for his articulate descriptions (in this and many other videos) and thanks to Brady and James for hosting, making, editing, ...!

[LordMarcus]

I'd like to see a follow-up video explaining how the scintillator operators tell the difference between a neutrino detection and the detection of any other possible energy source.

[AstroMikeMerri]

Hi Gammel: the "little flashes of light" occur when a neutrino (very occasionally) scatters off an electron in the liquid, giving the electron energy; when the electron bumps into the molecules that make up the scintillator, they give out photons, and the sum of those photons make up the flashes of light that are observed by the very sensitive light detectors around the vat of scintillator.

[nitelite]

For the question "what did they change to find these lower energy ones"?

This wasn't explained too well. He says there are still other things that interfere with the measurements despite making great efforts to eliminate background issues like c14 and cosmic ray but there is still some of those kind of particles causing interference.

So how do you differentiate between background interference vs low energy neutrinos and how do you differentiate between low energy neutrinos and high energy neutrinos.

Is it just higher and lower luminosity in the detector?

What happens if a higher energy neutrino or other background particle interacting with the detector only gives off a small amount of luminosity? (He seems to imply this can vary to me) Would this not look the same as a lower energy neutrino interaction? How do you tell the difference?

[Pulsar]

Are they only detecting the electron-neutrinos, or the muon- and tau- as well?

[joel]

brady this was a really good episode, but im REALLY interested in the decay chain or rather 'fusion chain' that the flow diagram showed. there was boron, lithium and beryllium in some of those decay chains and eventually ended up with helium, i would love to see a video explaining these decay chains, especially in larger stars prior to supernova when they start making iron. Also the 'pep' side of the flow that occurred just 0.24% of the time, is this the "burning zone" on the edge of the core to mantle that ive heard of ?

[factsheet]

2:00 If you keep smacking protons together at what rate? collision per second? 

[calinserbanspanu]

I follow your clips with great delight every time you post, finding them very illuminating for someone who studied just a little bit of physics. But what got me intrigued is the reference to the shape of the neutrino. We commonly depict every fundamental particle as a point or as a sphere. But what is their true shape, or do they got a shape at all?

[dst]

i love how i think of a question its asked right away. great timing.

[jdgrahamo]

I would like to know what Professor Merrifield means by 'little flashes of light'. Are they bursts of photons, single photons, or something caused or enabled by the detector that register as 'flashes' in the monitoring process?

[FallOfTheLiving]

are neutrinos any more likely to interact with a cetain element, is it possible to detect neutrino reactions with protons or neutrons?

[LeiosLabs]

Man. I'm a physicist who had no idea how this was done. thanks for the video!

[Petertronic]

What are your opinions on Multiverse theory?

[BubuSnow]

Sixty Symbols please make a more detailed videos on the scintillators, they are an incredible complex (and interesting) instrument whereof no one talks about!

[davidsweeney]

It doesn't get any better than this guys!

[zenzylok]

It would be wonderful if you would going into some detail regarding the role quantum tunneling plays in the process of fusion in stars.

[Andrewsarcus]

Another thing that is difficult to detect is gravity waves. Will you do a video about Gravitational-wave astronomy and the modern detectors using ultra cold alloys.

[ROCKEA]

Why do they refer to the thickness of lead to stop a particle?? Lead seems to always be the element used to "stop"  or "capture" particles. Why not other elements?

[tekinay]

Can you please make a video on why frequency of these subatomic particles are related to their energies? What is the intuitive relationship?