Canadian Neutrino Researcher Wins Nobel Prize in Physics
Dr. Art McDonald wins Nobel Prize for work on neutrino oscillation
Dr. McDonald shared the prize with Japanese colleague Professor Takaaki Kajita, who led the Super-Kamiokande collaboration. Both projects were large, international efforts aimed at studying the properties of the elusive neutrino, a sub-atomic particle produced by nuclear reactions.
Their great success was the discovery that neutrinos "oscillate" by transforming between three different "flavours" and this, in turn, implies that they have a tiny mass. Insights like this into the nature of neutrinos should hold keys to important questions about how the universe was formed.
Related Links
- Nobel Prize announcement
- Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
- CBC News story
- Quirks story on the latest in neutrino hunting
- Quirks Interview on the book Neutrino Hunters
- Bob's blog: Why Neutrinos Matter