快猫短视频

A LONG-STANDING mystery about ghostly particles whizzing out of the Sun has
taken another twist. 快猫短视频s have found that the number of 鈥渙rdinary鈥�
neutrinos emerging varies as the Sun rotates.

Neutrinos produced by nuclear reactions deep within the Sun stream out at
almost the speed of light. 快猫短视频s had assumed that they emerge at a more or
less constant rate. But neutrino detectors on Earth have only detected about
half of the expected numbers.

Neutrinos come in three types: electron, muon and tau. Nuclear reactions in
the Sun create electron neutrinos, the only kind we can detect. However, these
may have 鈥渇lipped鈥� into another type鈥攎uon or tau鈥攐n their journey to
Earth, explaining the missing numbers.

But Peter Sturrock of Stanford University in California and his colleague
Jeffrey Scargle have added a new twist. Their analysis of electron neutrinos
suggests the number coming out of the Sun is not constant, but varies as it
rotates鈥攚ith a period of roughly 27 days. The Sun鈥檚 clumpy magnetic field
may be the cause, they say.

Electron neutrinos made in the Sun are all 鈥渓eft-handed鈥濃�攖hey spin in
one direction only. But if they have a 鈥渕agnetic moment鈥濃�攅ffectively an
intrinsic magnetism鈥攖he Sun鈥檚 magnetic field could flip neutrinos into
their right-handed form, which can鈥檛 be detected on Earth. Most will remain
left-handed and detectable when the magnetic field between the Sun鈥檚 core and
its outer layers is weak. But if a region with strong magnetic fields is facing
Earth, more neutrinos will flip into right-handers and so the number detected on
Earth will fall鈥攑ossibly explaining at least part of the mysterious
deficit. However, Sturrock says more work is needed. 鈥淚t is too early to say,鈥�
he says.