Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino Experiment (KATRIN)

Recently, the Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino Experiment (KATRIN) collaboration published an upper limit on the sum of the masses of the three known neutrino types using 259 days of measurements recorded across five data-taking runs between March 2019 and June 2021.

Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino Experiment (KATRIN):

• Construction Location & Year: Constructed in Deggendorf (Germany) in 2006.
• Current Location: Currently performed on the Campus North of the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology.
• Collaboration: Has been a collaboration between national and international partners for nearly 20 years.
• Personnel: Currently involves more than 150 scientists, engineers, technicians, and students.

About Neutrinos:

• Mass: They are the lightest particles in the Universe.
  • Their tiny mass is a clear indication of physics beyond the standard model of elementary particle physics.
  • Their mass is so small that they travel nearly at the speed of light (unlike photons, which are massless and travel at the speed of light).
  • This “unbearable lightness” makes their weight difficult to pinpoint in experiments.
  • Physicists currently do not understand why neutrinos are so light.
• Cosmic Role: On the largest scales, neutrinos act as “cosmic architects.”
  • They play a role in shaping the visible structures in the Universe.
  • They influence the formation and distribution of galaxies.
• Research Interest: Physicists are keen to study neutrinos due to the continuous puzzles they have presented since their discovery in 1938.
• Current Research Focus: Central questions pertaining to neutrinos’ masses are currently driving research.

(Source: TH)