decay. Because they don't interact electromagnetically, that is, with light, they literally can't

衰變。因為他們不相互作用電磁，也就是說，與光，他們從字面上可以't。

be seen!

亮相

In fact, detecting a neutrino is kind of like trying to catch a bullet with a butterfly

事實上，探測中微子就像用蝴蝶抓子彈一樣。

net – a beam of neutrinos will travel through lead for two years before it stops. (in comparison,

網--一束中微子會在鉛中穿行兩年才停止。(相比之下。

radiation from nuclear fallout can be blocked by about ten cm of lead)

核塵埃的輻射可以被大約十釐米的鉛所阻擋)

So how do you detect a neutrino? One common way is to fill a big tank with water: we know

那麼如何探測中微子呢？一種常見的方法是在一個大水箱裡裝滿水：我們知道

light slows down through water, and if a neutrino with enough energy happens to knock into an

光在水裡會變慢，如果一個能量足夠的中微子碰巧撞到了水裡，那麼就會有更多的中微子。

electron, the electron will zip through the water faster than the light does! When this

電子，電子會以比光更快的速度穿過水麵!當這個

happens, the electron gives off a weak glow called Cherenkov Radiation - it's kind of

發生，電子發出微弱的光芒，稱為切倫科夫輻射 - 它的那種。

like a sonic boom for light, and it allows us to detect the neutrino. The biggest neutrino

就像光的音爆一樣，它讓我們可以探測到中微子。最大的中微子

detector in the world is a balloon over the south pole that actually uses the whole antarctic

世界上的探測器是在南極上空的氣球，它實際上是利用整個南極

ice sheet as its tank of water!

冰層作為它的水箱!

Neutrinos also tell us that the universe is not the same as its mirror image. If you switch

中微子還告訴我們，宇宙和它的鏡像是不一樣的。如果你切換

left with right, clockwise with counterclockwise, almost all of physics, like gravity, electromagnetism,

左與右，順時針與逆時針，幾乎所有的物理學，比如重力、電磁學。

and the strong nuclear force, is unchanged. However, the weird thing about neutrinos is

和強核力，是沒有變化的。然而，中微子的奇怪之處在於

that in physics terms, they're all left-handed - their mirror image doesn't exist! So neutrinos

在物理學上，它們都是左撇子--它們的鏡像並不存在!所以中微子

are the vampires of physics.

是物理學的吸血鬼。