Yes, sort of. Neutrinos do interact with matter, just not very much (the mean free path of neutrinos is 1 light year of lead). This is because they only interact through the weak interaction, yes.BWV said:basic question- neutrinos pass through matter because they are only subject to the weak interaction whereas photons interact with matter because they are subject to EM?
Not much in terms of interaction strength, but the signatures would be different (this is just kinematics - the recoil would be more). Further, there would be a bunch of other cosmological affects if the neutrino had a 1 GeV mass, and neutrino mixing would look different. Someone who knows more about neutrinos would be able to say more/correct me.BWV said:Does the small mass of the neutrino contribute to this - if there was a neutrino with the mass of a proton how differently would it interact with matter?
e.bar.goum said:the mean free path of neutrinos is 1 light year of lead
Point taken.Orodruin said:This is a statement taken out of context and that has become far too generalised. The mean-free path of neutrinos depend ln the neutrino energy. For example, the Earth is opaque to neutrinos at very high neutrino energies, such as the ultra-high energy neutrinos observed by IceCube.
EM (electromagnetic) interactions involve the exchange of photons between charged particles, while neutrino interactions involve the exchange of W or Z bosons between neutrinos and particles with weak charge.
EM interactions can cause particles to gain or lose energy, while neutrino interactions do not affect the energy of particles but can cause them to change into a different type of particle.
EM interactions are much more common in everyday life because they are responsible for all electromagnetic phenomena, such as light, electricity, and magnetism. Neutrino interactions are less common and are mainly studied in high-energy physics experiments.
Both EM and Neutrino interactions can be detected and measured through various methods. EM interactions can be detected through the observation of light or the flow of electrical current, while neutrino interactions can be detected through the observation of the products of their interactions with matter, such as other particles or radiation.
EM and Neutrino interactions both play important roles in our understanding of the universe. EM interactions allow us to observe and study distant objects in the universe through the light they emit. Neutrino interactions provide insights into the properties of fundamental particles and help us understand the processes that occur in the core of stars and during supernovae explosions.