Can Neutrinos Be Reflected and What Are the Spin Considerations?

  • Thread starter snorkack
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In summary, the conversation discusses the possibility of a neutrino undergoing elastic collision with a particle participating in weak interaction, and the direction of the neutrino's spin before and after the collision. It also touches on the concept of helicity and chirality, and the role they play in determining interactions with neutrinos. The conversation concludes by addressing the idea of a "right chiral neutron" and the importance of understanding the concepts of helicity and chirality in discussing neutrinos.
  • #1
snorkack
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Can a neutrino undergo elastic collision with a particle participating in weak interaction, such as an electron, a nucleon, or other lepton or a hadron, such that the direction of neutrino movement changes by 180 degrees?

If yes, what is the direction of the neutrino spin relative to its direction of movement before and after the collision?
What is the direction of neutrino spin relative to outside frame of reference before and after collision?

Can a neutrino be reflected by a pi meson, seeing that the pi meson has no spin and therefore cannot change it?
 
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  • #2
Can a neutrino undergo elastic collision with a particle participating in weak interaction, such as an electron, a nucleon, or other lepton or a hadron

Yes

such that the direction of neutrino movement changes by 180 degrees?

No. The probability for exactly 180 degrees is zero. The probability for around 180 is very low. This is just Rutherford scattering.

What is the direction of neutrino spin relative to outside frame of reference before and after collision?

It sounds like you are getting confused with helicity and chirality. The helicity of the neutrino doesn't matter when determining what the interactions are. That's the chirality.
 
  • #3
Vanadium 50 said:
It sounds like you are getting confused with helicity and chirality. The helicity of the neutrino doesn't matter when determining what the interactions are. That's the chirality.
So what exactly is the spin constraint on neutrinos, which is not shared by e. g. an electron scattering under electromagnetic interaction?
 
  • #4
Active neutrinos have left-handed chirality.
 
  • #5
Vanadium 50 said:
Active neutrinos have left-handed chirality.
So in which frame does neutrino spin have to be left-handed?
 
  • #6
Chirality is frame independent.
 
  • #7
Then do other massive particles possesses frame independent chirality?
 
  • #8
Chirality is frame independent. Not "chirality for neutrinos". Just plain old chirality.
 
  • #9
Then which interactions are right chiral neutrons capable of?
 
  • #10
None. They're sterile.
 
  • #11
Are right chiral neutrons and protons then also incapable of strong interaction?
 
  • #12
No, this chirality-dependence is a unique feature of the weak interaction.
 
  • #13
Then would a right chiral neutron be able to be included in nuclei (under strong interaction) but barred from weak interaction... and therefore beta decay?
 
  • #14
The W couples to the quarks, not to the neutron.
 
  • #15
Snorkack, it feels like you are playing 20 questions with us. What is it that you are trying to figure out?

And there is no such thing as a "right chiral neutron". With questions like this, I get the feeling you don't understand either helicity or chirality. If that's the case, reading up on them is probably more helpful than asking questions intended to illuminate the difference. It's like trying to explain the difference between an orange and a tangerine to someone struggling with the concept of "fruit".
 
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  • #16
Does chirality place any spin constraints on neutrino? If yes, which ones?
 

1. Can neutrinos be reflected?

Yes, neutrinos can be reflected. However, the process of reflection for neutrinos is different from that of light or other particles.

2. How do neutrinos reflect?

Neutrinos can reflect through a process called "neutrino oscillation", where they change from one type to another as they travel through space. This change in type allows them to interact with matter and be reflected.

3. What materials can reflect neutrinos?

Neutrinos can be reflected off of any material that they are able to interact with, such as water, ice, or even the Earth's crust. However, the reflection is very weak and difficult to detect.

4. Why is it difficult to detect neutrino reflection?

Neutrino reflection is difficult to detect because neutrinos have a very low mass and do not interact with matter as strongly as other particles. This makes their interactions and reflections very rare and hard to observe.

5. Are there any practical applications for neutrino reflection?

While neutrino reflection is still a topic of research, it is currently not used in any practical applications. However, the study of neutrinos and their interactions could potentially lead to advancements in fields such as astrophysics and particle physics.

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