The physics of massive neutrinos

Book · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:5811203

Gibrat-Debu, F; Perrier, F; Kayser, B

This book explains the physics and phenomenology of massive neutrinos. The authors argue that neutrino mass is not unlikely and consider briefly the search for evidence of this mass in decay processes before they examine the physics and phenomenology of neutrino oscillation. The physics of Majorana neutrinos (neutrinos which are their own antiparticles) is then discussed. Firstly, a number of basic properties of such neutrinos are established without using any field theory. Then the field-theory description of a Majorana particle is introduced and used to treat such processes as neutrinos double beta decay. Finally, there is a treatment of neutrino masses in gauge theories and a derivation of the seesaw relation, which explains why neutrino masses are so small by relating them to the inverse of a large mass scale.

• OSTI ID: 5811203
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

645203* -- High Energy Physics-- Particle Interactions & Properties-Theoretical-- Weak Interactions & Properties
645300 -- High Energy Physics-- Particle Invariance Principles & Symmetries
645400 -- High Energy Physics-- Field Theory
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
BETA DECAY
BETA-MINUS DECAY
DECAY
DOUBLE BETA DECAY
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
FIELD THEORIES
GAUGE INVARIANCE
INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES
LEPTONS
MAJORANA THEORY
MASSLESS PARTICLES
MECHANICS
NEUTRAL PARTICLES
NEUTRINOS
NUCLEAR DECAY
PARTICLES
PHYSICS
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
QUANTUM MECHANICS