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Ralphonsicus
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Why isn't all water being infiltrated by neutrinos and giving off a blue glow?
P.S: I know they're not literally everywhere.
P.S: I know they're not literally everywhere.
Ralphonsicus said:Why isn't all water being infiltrated by neutrinos and giving off a blue glow?
P.S: I know they're not literally everywhere.
Detection
Main article: Neutrino detector
Neutrinos cannot be detected directly, because they don't ionize the materials they are passing through (they don't carry electric charge and other proposed effects, like the MSW effect, do not produce traceable radiation).
Most neutrinos passing through the Earth emanate from the Sun. About 65 billion (6.5×1010) solar neutrinos per second pass through every square centimeter perpendicular to the direction of the Sun in the region of the Earth.
Ralphonsicus said:Why isn't all water being infiltrated by neutrinos and giving off a blue glow?
P.S: I know they're not literally everywhere.
AdrianTheRock said:No. The Cerenkov radiation only happens when a neutrino actually interacts with another particle, and comes from an electron given off by the interaction that moves faster than light in the water. These interactions are very rare. All water would give off occasional blue glows, but so few they're not noticeable without special detectors.
mal4mac said:Could you put a really good telescope in the deep ocean and detect it? If it's deep enough wouldn't photons/cosmic rays/etc be blocked leaving only neutrinos? Volcanoes and strange glowing creatures might be a problem. Could they be avoided?
Google search shows I'm not quite as dumb as I think I am:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19626276.400-neutrino-detector-reveals-deep-ocean-life.html
And this:
http://www.phys.hawaii.edu/~sdye/CEROS_final_report.pdf
Interesting stuff!
Cherenkov's Radiation is only produced when a charged particle travels faster than the speed of light in a medium. Neutrinos, on the other hand, travel at or near the speed of light, making it impossible for them to produce Cherenkov's Radiation.
In theory, yes. If a neutrino were to interact with a medium and produce a charged particle that travels faster than the speed of light in that medium, then Cherenkov's Radiation could be produced. However, this is extremely rare and has not been observed in nature.
Cherenkov's Radiation is produced when high-energy particles (such as those found in nuclear reactors and particle accelerators) travel faster than the speed of light in a medium. This is because these particles have enough energy to create shock waves in the medium, causing the characteristic blue glow of Cherenkov's Radiation.
No, not all charged particles produce Cherenkov's Radiation. The particle must also be traveling at a specific angle relative to the medium, known as the Cherenkov angle. If the particle does not meet this criteria, it will not produce Cherenkov's Radiation.
Cherenkov's Radiation can be detected using specialized detectors that are designed to detect the characteristic blue light. These detectors often use photomultiplier tubes, which convert the light into an electrical signal that can be measured and analyzed by scientists.