PARIS, Oct 8 — Miniscule but packed with energy, neutrinos charge to Earth from outer space, bringing valuable data on the cosmos, according to research that won this year’s Nobel physics prize.
Here are facts about the subatomic particles observed by prizewinner Francis Halzen of Belgium, as told to AFP by members of his team and other scientists.
What are neutrinos?
With no electrical charge and virtually no mass, neutrinos scarcely interact with other matter and pass unseen through the galaxy and anything they touch — even from one end of Earth to another.
“Every second, without you noticing, 65 billion neutrinos from the Sun flow through your little finger nail,” said the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, in a statement presenting the prize.
