Article
Article
Neutrino
Article By:
Suzuki, Yoichiro Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Last reviewed:February 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.450700
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An elusive elementary particle that interacts with matter principally through the weak nuclear force. Neutrinos are produced in abundance through astrophysical processes, radioactive decay and by nuclear reactors. After photons, neutrinos are the most common particle in the universe. Due to their minimal interactions with other matter, though, trillions of neutrinos pass through each person on Earth every second. Large, highly sensitive detectors are necessary in order to capture rare interactions between neutrinos and matter for scientific study (Fig. 1). See also: Matter (physics); Nuclear reactor; Photon; Radioactivity
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