If neutrinos are Dirac particles, their matter and antimatter versions are very different. The neutrino is one of the most mysterious particles in the Standard Model. The original idea of neutrinos was formulated in response to a problem in beta decay, in which a neutron converts into an electron and a proton.
What type of particle is a neutrino?
A neutrino is a subatomic particle that is very similar to an electron, but has no electrical charge and a very small mass, which might even be zero. Neutrinos are one of the most abundant particles in the universe.
Do right-handed neutrinos exist?
In particle physics, handedness is a quality that emerges from a particle’s mass and spin. As massless particles, neutrinos wouldn’t be able to change their handedness—but with mass, they can. That means there can be this right-handed, sterile neutrino.”
What are Dirac points in graphene?
Graphene is a semimetal whose conduction and valence bands meet at the Dirac points, which are six locations in momentum space, the vertices of its hexagonal Brillouin zone, divided into two non-equivalent sets of three points. The two sets are labeled K and K’.
Is a neutrino a fundamental particle?
A neutrino is a particle! It’s one of the so-called fundamental particles, which means it isn’t made of any smaller pieces, at least that we know of. Neutrinos are members of the same group as the most famous fundamental particle, the electron (which is powering the device you’re reading this on right now).
Can axions make dark matter?
They would be highly energetic and thus unlikely to be a dark matter component. Dark matter axions would have to be slow-moving, or cold, so they could clump together to gravitationally guide the evolution of galaxies—as dark matter is believed to do.
Why is Axion cold and dark matter?
Cold dark matter candidates are non-relativistic, i.e. slow moving particles. axions are non-relativistic and therefore fall within the category of CDM. (CDM). This is a zero momentum condensate and so constitutes cold dark matter.
