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An Attempt to Detect the Neutrino

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 October 2008

M. E. Nahmias
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Extract

It has been shown by Chadwick and Lee(1), using a high-pressure ionization chamber, that if one neutrino is emitted by each disintegrating Ra E nucleus, then the neutrinos do not produce more than one pair of ions in 150 km. of air at N.T.P. Calculations based on the wave mechanics show that the ionization due to a neutrino having a magnetic moment of one Bohr magneton would be very easily detectable(2), whereas it has peen estimated that if the neutrino has no magnetic moment at all its encounters with nuclei will be as scarce as one in 1016 km. of water(3). I have investigated the matter again, using two Geiger-Müller counters, instead of an ionization chamber. The counters have the advantage of giving a discharge for a single pair of ions(4). The two counters of 15×5cm. were connected in parallel, and filled with air at 76mm. pressure. They were shielded on all sides by 45 mm. of lead. A source of 7 mg. of Ra (D, E, F) was placed at a distance of 11 cm. from the centres of the two counters, so that the total solid angle subtended by the counters at the source was 0·10, expressed as a fraction of the complete sphere. Assuming that both the disintegrating atoms of Ra D and Ra E give one neutrino, then the number of neutrinos crossing the counters per minute is 3·1 × 109. The average effective length of the path in the counter, reduced to N.T.P., is 0·3 cm., so in one min. the total range in air of all the neutrinos crossing the counters is 9·3 × 108 cm.

Type
Research Article
Information
Mathematical Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society , Volume 31 , Issue 1 , January 1935 , pp. 99 - 107
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge Philosophical Society 1935

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References

REFERENCES

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