How Many Light Years Must a Neutrino Travel for Observable Interactions?

  • Thread starter Thread starter andydan1056
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Estimate Neutrino
Click For Summary

Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the distance a neutrino must travel in light years to achieve observable interactions, focusing on the context of particle physics and neutrino interactions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to calculate the volume of a cylinder and the number of interactions a neutrino might have, but seeks clarification on how to determine the required distance in light years. Other participants question the calculations and assumptions regarding interaction rates and volume.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively engaging with the original poster's calculations, with some providing insights into the interaction probabilities of neutrinos. There is a mix of questioning and suggesting adjustments to the calculations, but no consensus has been reached on the final approach to determining the distance in light years.

Contextual Notes

There are discussions about the assumptions made regarding the interaction rates of neutrinos, specifically the fraction that actually interact, which influences the calculations significantly. The original poster is also navigating the complexities of converting units and understanding the implications of their calculations.

andydan1056
Messages
7
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement


https://gm1.ggpht.com/EOgEamclEBUKwVrnxKngFGdqUbOp0GW0TtjQoScZXstPwArYvPID2fM_YB2D_XJWKH1Ci-jnUNqegAMdVPP8yCTfqzo7yoWY0GLRSpZQGnFgJEAfCSxTp7iBJSOGLU0T6ibIDUjyh8eR54LKZgQGAxuBg-gKsocOW2zow-W4wffzBfSHzfAtHEipIDJqV700k6c4OqZG7HH_d4V9sJ_ioT8ddOgdBcSqVSCG7ZYxd8drNw-ylQ-MsE75HXv5a6jpjIJTJ0VynN2M4v6YU8Y05mfNnNaOngEIXxgBue90U3E9A1ANn7ZOMVC9w_GlFMqi4jsmypzV91FOJ4ucU-N5NM8EoWifYczWvV9jC1nXJB3pMNZJ7OFA1YaZTyLlvEQ8xeVn_fptYT8_7EE720PbKMRO85Rqoz_XP-1_ZiNpotXKk5hf-cB_5flXYR4BLAM2Lcl1Sz3D9b80AgFZCtE4Oe5TSE8nLPy6mzIgN7e92uqQayUvyLMu_2H2lBu7xqL8nahwYh8q3kFy7d14iKyAYpg0KGGCOfP_i3P6FUtg70zP_xRSkRS36970vC2zvgQFhPUkLnXIuncXYjUgssSiILhwIl8Vjb-AUjPntefKrgDv3K_vdEhpeTLvi10=w1256-h483-l75-ft

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution


I calculated the volume of a cylinder's cross section and one light year: 10^-36 m^2 (9.46 x 10^15 m) = 9.46 x 10^-21 m^3 = 9.46 x 10^-15 cm^3.

Then I calculated the number of interactions in that cylinder: 6.02 x 10^23 x 11 (9.46 x 10^-15 cm^3) = 6.626 x 10^10 interactions per light year.

How do I calculate the light years a neutrino would have to travel?

Could someone show me the process?

Thanks!
 
Physics news on Phys.org
What happened to the ##10^{-12}## ?
 
BvU said:
What happened to the ##10^{-12}## ?
What 10^−12?
 
Only one in ##10^{12}## neutrinos actually interact. this reduces the ##10^{-36}## to ##10^{-48}##.
Fortunately there are three quarks inside every nucleon ... :smile:
 
BvU said:
Only one in ##10^{12}## neutrinos actually interact. this reduces the ##10^{-36}## to ##10^{-48}##.
Fortunately there are three quarks inside every nucleon ... :smile:
Thanks. I'm still not sure how to calculate the number of light years?
 
You have ##N_A * 11 * 3 * 10^{-48} * 10^{6}## area in 1 cm3. I suppose you want 0.5 cm2 so you need a lot of cm. How many ? Divide one by the other and convert to light-years.

Let me know what comes out and if that's in the right ball-park
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

Question between friends - How long to travel 1 light year?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
5K