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Neutrino Experiment Restores Standard Model Symmetry

Posted by kdawson on from the eightfold-way dept.

perturbed1 writes "A Fermilab press release announced that MiniBooNE's latest results have salvaged the Standard Model of particle physics. The experiment ruled out the simple neutrino oscillation interpretation of the 1990s LSND experiment. Neutrinos have a tiny amount of mass, required by their oscillations, as observed in solar, atmospheric, and reactor neutrino experiments. Combining this mass with the LSND experiment's results required the presence of a fourth but 'sterile' neutrino, breaking the 3-fold symmetry of particle families in the standard model." Nice to see some good news out of Fermilab after the CERN debacle.

3 of 83 comments (clear)

  1. This was pretty much expected by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The Los Alamos results seemed fishy, so I think most particle physicists expected the sterile neutrino interpretation to be disconfirmed.

  2. Re:NOT good news! by Boghog · · Score: 2, Interesting

    We already know that both the standard model and the general relativity are wrong or at least incomplete.

    Not trolling, but the above statement reminds me of the following quotation:
    All models are wrong, some are useful.
    http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_E._P._Box/

  3. Cosmology predicted that ages ago by PineGreen · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Cosmology predicted that quite some time ago as myself and collaborators show in this PRL paper from over a year ago. And there were many other papers with similar conclusions as well... The only problem is that particle physicists never believe cosmologists! :)