Neutrino
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A neutrino is a type of elementary particle studied by physicists. They are very hard to find because they are so small, they almost do not interact with regular matter (Example: They are able to pass through the whole mass of the earth without touching any other particle). Until recently, it was believed that they have no mass but a few years ago it was found out that they have a very small mass, much lighter than electrons.
They are searched by detectors in huge ice-caves in the polar regions or at the bottom of the deep sea.
They are also named "ghost-particles", because they are very hard to detect.
They are created in nuclear reactions in nuclear power plants, in the sun and stars and also by other cosmic objects. By detecting them in big detectors on the earth, it is possible to learn about the structure and the history of the universe.
