Since the neutrino flies through everything at the speed of light, it appears to have no mass. Is it just pure energy? Is E=mc² correct if m=0?

Asker: Dirk, 47 years old

Answer

A neutrino does not fly through everything, it can very, very exceptionally interact with matter. A gigantic neutrino detector of 1 cubic kilometer has been built at the South Pole, which effectively detects neutrinos. Detection concretely means interaction with the detector.
In the case of extremely dense matter, such as during the supernova explosion, the interaction with neutrons is significant. That the mass of a neutrino is zero is also incorrect, there are several indications that the mass is extremely small, but not zero.

With the formula E = mc2 you have to be careful, especially with regard to the meaning of m.
If the rest mass mO is completely converted into energy, you get an amount of energy:

E = mO c2

However, the total energy is also partly determined by the kinetic energy, due to any movement. Then you get:

E = root (mO2 c4 + p2c2 )

or

E2 = mO2 c4 + p2c2

If you then write:

E = mc2 then m stands for the relatviistic mass, and we have:

E = mc2 = mO c2 + p2c2

for a photon is mO equals zero, but the momentum p is not, so the energy of a photon is

E = pc

and this is also equal to E = h.ν with ν the frequency and h the Plankck constant, and hence E = hc / λ with λ the wavelength.

Since the neutrino flies through everything at the speed of light, it appears to have no mass.  Is it just pure energy?  Is E=mc² correct if m=0?

Answered by

prof.dr. Paul Hellings

Department of Mathematics, Fac. IIW, KU Leuven

Catholic University of Leuven
Old Market 13 3000 Leuven
https://www.kuleuven.be/

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