What is the difference between an electron and a muon?

Muons are about 200 times heavier than electrons; muons are about 100 MeV, whereas electrons are about 0.5 MeV. It follows that whereas an electron is stopped in the ECAL, a muon just ploughs through it and into the muon chamber, as illustrated by this cartoon from this blog post about the muon.

Why do we not notice the effects of billions of neutrinos passing through each square centimeter of our body surface every second?

Neutrinos are then “elusive” particles, but they also are very abundant particles in the universe, and we do not notice them only because they interact so little. Approximately 60 billions of solar neutrinos, produced in the core of the sun by nuclear reactions, cross each square centimeter of our body every second.

What happens when neutrinos collide with matter?

When the neutrino interacted with a cesium or iodine nucleus, the crystal would emit about 10 photons’ worth of dim light, cracking a window into the personality of the shyest particle. Understanding this collision could help physicists study weirder properties of neutrinos—and complicate their search for dark matter.

Can muon replace electron?

In a muonic atom (previously called a mu-mesic atom, now known to be a misnomer as muons are not mesons), an electron is replaced by a muon, which, like the electron, is a lepton.

Can neutrinos pass through Earth?

They come straight through the earth at nearly the speed of light, all the time, day and night, in enormous numbers. About 100 trillion neutrinos pass through our bodies every second.

What was the solar neutrino problem that was suggested by early neutrino observations?

The solar neutrino problem concerned a large discrepancy between the flux of solar neutrinos as predicted from the Sun’s luminosity and as measured directly. The discrepancy was first observed in the mid-1960s and was resolved around 2002.

What are neutrinos in space?

Neutrinos are fundamental particles that were first formed in the first second of the early universe, before even atoms could form. They are also continually being produced in the nuclear reactions of stars, like our sun, and nuclear reactions here on earth.

Are neutrinos leptons?

A neutrino is a very small piece of matter. Neutrinos however fall into a category called leptons. Leptons are also fermions, and together with quarks make up matter. The difference between leptons and quarks, is that leptons exist on their own, where quarks combine to form baryons.

Can a neutrino become an electron?

) is an elementary particle which has zero electric charge and a spin of ½. Together with the electron, it forms the first generation of leptons, hence the name electron neutrino….Electron neutrino.

What happens when a neutrino makes contact with another atom?

If a neutrino enters the nucleus of an atom, passes into one of the protons or neutrons, and (roughly speaking) comes very close to a quark (or anti-quark) in the proton or neutron, then there is a moderate chance that the neutrino and quark (or anti-quark) will strike each other.