Ghost Particle: In Search of the Elusive and Mysterious Neutrino

Alan Chodos is a research professor of physics at the University of Texas at Arlington, a former director of the Yale Center for Theoretical Physics, and the former associate executive officer of the American Physical Society, where he is a Fellow. James Riordon is a science journalist who has written for Science News, Scientific American, New Scientist, Popular Science, the Washington Post, Science Magazine, Ad Astra, Physics Today, and Analytical Chemistry. He is a past president of the DC Science Writers Association, and cofounder of the Southwest Science Writers Association. Don Lincoln is a physicist, author, host of the Fermilab YouTube channel, and science contributor to CNN.com, NOVA, and LiveScience.com. Foreword by Don Lincoln ix Preface xiii Portrait of a Ghost 1 1 Neutrino Enigma 3 2 A Desperate Proposal 13 3 Project Poltergeist 31 4 Adrift in a Particle Sea 49 5 Turn On the Sun 65 6 The Incredible Flavor Changer 77 7 Shadows in the Particle Garden 93 8 Cosmic Connections 111 9 Lifting a Veil on the Universe 123 10 Made-to-Order Neutrinos 149 11 A Coherent Tale 161 12 Infinity through a Keyhole 177 13 Into the Unknown 193 14 What Can You Do with a Neutrino? 203 15 On the Fringes and Over the Edge 225 16 More to Come for Little Neutral One 239 Acknowledgments 243 Appendix 245 Glossary 259 Notes 273 Further Reading 287 Index 289