Magnet-based setup may help detect the elusive mass of
neutrinos.
(April 21, 2015) MIT
physicists have developed a new tabletop particle detector that is able to
identify single electrons in a radioactive gas.
As the gas decays and gives off electrons, the detector uses
a magnet to trap them in a magnetic bottle. A radio antenna then picks up very
weak signals emitted by the electrons, which can be used to map the electrons’
precise activity over several milliseconds.