tau neutrino
E51187
The tau neutrino is a fundamental, electrically neutral lepton associated with the tau particle, interacting only via the weak force and gravity and playing a key role in neutrino oscillations.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
elementary particle
→
fermion → lepton → neutrino → |
| antiparticle |
tau antineutrino
→
|
| antiparticleHelicityInWeakInteractions |
predominantly right-handed
→
|
| baryonNumber |
0
→
|
| belongsToGeneration |
third lepton generation
→
|
| cosmologicalAbundance |
relic background expected but undetected
→
|
| detectionMethod |
charged-current interactions producing tau leptons
→
|
| discoveredBy |
DONUT experiment
→
|
| discoveryLocation |
Fermilab
→
|
| discoveryYear |
2000
→
|
| doesNotInteractVia |
electromagnetic interaction
→
strong interaction → |
| electricCharge |
0
→
|
| flavorEigenstateOf |
weak interaction
→
|
| hasRestMass |
nonzero but very small
→
|
| hasSpin |
1/2
→
|
| helicityInWeakInteractions |
predominantly left-handed
→
|
| interactionCrossSection |
extremely small
→
|
| interactsVia |
gravity
→
weak interaction → |
| isChiralInStandardModel |
left-handed only
→
|
| isColorless |
true
→
|
| isDescribedBy |
Standard Model of particle physics
→
|
| isFundamental |
true
→
|
| isInvisibleInDetectors |
directly undetectable; inferred from missing energy
→
|
| isNeutralLepton |
true
→
|
| isPartnerOf |
tau lepton
→
|
| isPointLikeAtCurrentScales |
true
→
|
| isSubjectOf |
PMNS matrix measurements
→
neutrino mass hierarchy studies → |
| isWeaklyInteracting |
true
→
|
| leptonFamilyNumber |
tau lepton number
→
|
| leptonNumber |
+1
→
|
| massUpperLimit |
a few eV/c^2 (order of magnitude)
→
|
| mixesWith |
electron neutrino
→
muon neutrino → |
| participatesIn |
neutrino oscillations
→
|
| productionMechanism |
astrophysical processes
→
high-energy hadron collisions → tau lepton decay → |
| rightHandedComponent |
not included in minimal Standard Model
→
|
| roleInAstrophysics |
participates in supernova neutrino fluxes
→
|
| roleInCosmology |
contributes to radiation density in early universe
→
|
| statistics |
Fermi–Dirac statistics
→
|
| symbol |
ν_τ
→
|
Referenced by (4)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
muon neutrino
→
|
canOscillateInto |
|
Standard Model
→
|
containsParticle |
|
Tevatron
→
|
contributedToDiscoveryOf |
|
tau lepton
→
|
hasAssociatedNeutrino |