NeutrinoCenter.org | Neutrino: Keywords

1. Core Neutrino Physics Terms

Research Word, Meaning / Use

1. Neutrino: Electrically neutral, very light elementary particle

2. Neutrino Oscillations: 

3. Standard Model of Particle Physics: SM

4. Antineutrino: Antiparticle of a neutrino

5. Flavor: Neutrino type: electron, muon, tau

6. Electron neutrino: ( \nu_e )

7. Muon neutrino: ( \nu_\mu )

8. Tau neutrino: ( \nu_\tau )

9. Sterile neutrino: Hypothetical neutrino that does not interact via weak force

10. Neutrino mass: Tiny but nonzero mass of neutrinos

11. Mass eigenstate: Neutrino state with definite mass

12. Flavor eigenstate: Neutrino state produced/detected in weak interaction

13. Mixing angle: Parameter controlling flavor mixing

14. PMNS matrix: Neutrino mixing matrix

15. Oscillation: Change of neutrino flavor during propagation

16. Baseline: Distance between source and detector

17. Matter effect: Change in oscillation due to matter

18. MSW effect: Mikheyev–Smirnov–Wolfenstein matter effect

19. CP violation: Difference between neutrino and antineutrino behavior

20. Mass hierarchy: Ordering of neutrino masses

21. Normal ordering: (m_1 < m_2 < m_3)

22. Inverted ordering: (m_3 < m_1 < m_2)

23. Absolute neutrino mass: Actual neutrino mass scale

24. Majorana neutrino: Neutrino that is its own antiparticle

25. Dirac neutrino: Neutrino distinct from antineutrino

26. Lepton number violation: Non-conservation of lepton number

27. Neutrino magnetic moment: Possible electromagnetic property of neutrinos

28. Non-standard interaction: New interaction beyond Standard Model

29. Decoherence: Loss of quantum coherence in neutrino propagation

2. Oscillation Parameters

Research Word, Symbol

• Solar mixing angle: ( \theta_{12} )

• Atmospheric mixing angle: ( \theta_{23} )

• Reactor mixing angle:( \theta_{13} )

• CP phase: ( \delta_{CP} )

• Solar mass splitting: ( \Delta m^2_{21} )

• Atmospheric mass splitting: ( \Delta m^2_{31}, \Delta m^2_{32} )

• Oscillation probability: (P(\nu_\alpha \rightarrow \nu_\beta))

• Appearance channel: New flavor appears

• Disappearance channel: Original flavor decreases

• Vacuum oscillation: Oscillation without matter

• Matter-enhanced oscillation: Oscillation modified by matter

• Octant of theta23: Whether ( \theta_{23}<45^\circ ) or (>45^\circ)

3. Neutrino Sources

Research Word, Example

1. Solar neutrino: From the Sun

2. Atmospheric neutrino: From cosmic-ray air showers

3. Reactor neutrino: From nuclear reactors

4. Accelerator neutrino: From particle accelerators

5. Supernova neutrino: From stellar collapse

6. Geoneutrino: From radioactive decay inside Earth

7. Cosmogenic neutrino: From cosmic-ray interactions

8. Astrophysical neutrino: From cosmic sources

9. Diffuse supernova neutrino background: Relic neutrinos from all past supernovae

10. Cosmic neutrino background: Big Bang relic neutrinos

11. High-energy neutrino: TeV–PeV neutrinos

12. Ultra-high-energy neutrino: EeV-scale neutrinos

13. Beam neutrino: Artificial neutrino beam

14. Beta-beam neutrino: Neutrino beam from beta decay

15. Prompt atmospheric neutrino: From charm particle decay

16. Conventional atmospheric neutrino: From pion/kaon decay

4. Detection and Interaction Terms

Research Word, Meaning

• Charged-current interaction: Neutrino creates charged lepton

• Neutral-current interaction: Neutrino scatters without changing flavor

• Elastic scattering: Scattering without particle breakup

• Coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering: CEvNS

• Inverse beta decay: Common reactor antineutrino detection

• Deep inelastic scattering: High-energy neutrino interaction with nucleons

• Quasi-elastic scattering: Neutrino interaction with a nucleon

• Resonant pion production: Interaction producing pion via resonance

• Cross section: Probability of interaction

• Event rate: Number of detected events

• Signal: Desired neutrino event

• Background: Unwanted event mimicking signal

• Vertex: Interaction point

• Track: Long particle path, often muon-like

• Cascade: Shower-like event

• Shower: Particle cascade in detector

• Cherenkov radiation: Light emitted by fast charged particle

• Scintillation light: Light from excited detector material

• Ionization: Charge produced by passing particles

• Time projection chamber: TPC detector technology

• Photomultiplier tube: PMT light sensor

• Silicon photomultiplier: SiPM light sensor

• Optical module: Light sensor unit in neutrino telescope

• Trigger: Detector condition for recording event

• Reconstruction: Inferring energy/direction/flavor

• Energy resolution: Accuracy of energy measurement

• Angular resolution: Accuracy of direction measurement

• Fiducial volume: Clean inner detector volume

• Exposure: Detector mass × running time

• Efficiency: Fraction of real events detected

• Systematic uncertainty: Non-statistical experimental uncertainty

5. Detector Materials and Technologies

Research Word, Use

1. Water Cherenkov detector: Super-Kamiokande, Hyper-K

2. Heavy water detector: SNO

3. Liquid scintillator: JUNO, Borexino

4. Liquid argon time projection chamber: DUNE, MicroBooNE

5. Ice Cherenkov detector: IceCube

6. Deep-sea Cherenkov detector: KM3NeT, Baikal-GVD

7. Emulsion detector: OPERA

8. Gadolinium loading: Improves neutron tagging

9. Germanium detector: Low-threshold detection

10. Xenon detector: Dark matter and neutrino detection

11. Bolometer: Low-temperature energy detector

12. Radio antenna array: UHE neutrino radio detection

13. Acoustic detection: Sound-based neutrino detection concept

14. Air-shower detector: Detects secondary particle showers

6. Major Neutrino Experiments

Research Word / Experiment, Focus

• Super-Kamiokande: Atmospheric, solar, proton decay

• Hyper-Kamiokande: Next-generation water Cherenkov

• SNO: Solar neutrinos

• Borexino: Low-energy solar neutrinos

• KamLAND: Reactor antineutrinos

• Daya Bay: Reactor ( \theta_{13} )

• RENO: Reactor oscillation

• Double Chooz: Reactor oscillation

• JUNO: Mass ordering, reactor neutrinos

• T2K: Long-baseline oscillation

• NOvA: Long-baseline oscillation

• DUNE: CP violation, mass ordering, supernova

• MINOS: Long-baseline oscillation

• MINERvA: Neutrino cross sections

• MicroBooNE: Liquid argon, sterile neutrino tests

• ICARUS: Liquid argon detector

• SBND: Short-baseline neutrino detector

• SBN Program: Sterile neutrino search

• IceCube: High-energy astrophysical neutrinos

• IceCube-Gen2: Future high-energy neutrino telescope

• ANTARES: Deep-sea neutrino telescope

• KM3NeT: Mediterranean neutrino telescope

• Baikal-GVD: Lake Baikal neutrino telescope

• ANITA: Radio detection of UHE neutrinos

• RNO-G: Radio neutrino observatory

• GRAND: Giant radio array for UHE neutrinos

• TAMBO: Tau-neutrino mountain-based observatory

• COHERENT: CEvNS detection

• KATRIN: Direct neutrino mass

• Project 8: Neutrino mass via cyclotron radiation

• GERDA: Neutrinoless double beta decay

• LEGEND: Neutrinoless double beta decay

• EXO/nEXO: Neutrinoless double beta decay

• CUORE: Neutrinoless double beta decay

• KamLAND-Zen: Neutrinoless double beta decay

7. Astrophysical Neutrino Terms

Research Word, Meaning

1. Neutrino astronomy: Astronomy using neutrinos

2. Multimessenger astronomy: Combining neutrinos, photons, cosmic rays, gravitational waves

3. Point-source search: Search for neutrinos from a specific object

4. Diffuse flux: All-sky neutrino flux

5. Transient source: Time-variable source

6. Blazar: Active galaxy jet source

7. Gamma-ray burst: GRB

8. Active galactic nucleus: AGN

9. Tidal disruption event: TDE

10. Supernova remnant: SNR

11. Starburst galaxy: Galaxy with intense star formation

12. Galactic plane: Milky Way disk region

13. Extragalactic neutrino: Neutrino from outside the Galaxy

14. Cosmic-ray acceleration: Production of energetic particles

15. Hadronic interaction: Proton/nucleus interaction producing neutrinos

16. Pion decay: Source of neutrinos

17. Muon damping: Source condition affecting flavor ratio

18. Neutrino horizon: Maximum distance observable

19. Flavor ratio: ( \nu_e:\nu_\mu:\nu_\tau )

20. Tau neutrino appearance: Detection of ( \nu_\tau ) events

21. Double bang event: Tau neutrino signature in IceCube

22. Earth-skimming neutrino: Tau neutrino entering Earth and emerging

23. Askaryan effect: Radio emission from particle shower

8. Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay Terms

Research Word, Meaning

• Double beta decay: Nuclear decay emitting two electrons

• Neutrinoless double beta decay: (0\nu\beta\beta), no neutrinos emitted

• Two-neutrino double beta decay: (2\nu\beta\beta)

• Majorana mass: Effective neutrino mass

• Effective mass: (m_{\beta\beta})

• Half-life limit: Experimental lower bound on decay lifetime

• Nuclear matrix element: Nuclear physics factor

• Isotope enrichment: Increasing target isotope abundance

• Region of interest: Energy window near signal

• Q-value: Decay energy

• Background index: Background per energy, mass, time

• Energy resolution: Critical for separating signal

• Lepton number violation: Key implication of (0\nu\beta\beta)

9. Cosmology and Neutrinos

Research Word, Meaning

1. Relic neutrino: Neutrino from early universe

2. Cosmic neutrino background: CνB

3. Effective number of neutrino species: (N_{\rm eff})

4. Sum of neutrino masses: (\sum m_\nu)

5. Big Bang nucleosynthesis: BBN

6. Cosmic microwave background: CMB

7. Large-scale structure: LSS

8. Matter power spectrum: Cosmological structure observable

9. Free streaming: Neutrino suppression of structure growth

10. Hot dark matter: Fast-moving relic particles

11. Sterile neutrino dark matter: Candidate dark matter model

12. Leptogenesis: Matter-antimatter asymmetry via leptons

13. Seesaw mechanism: Explains small neutrino mass

10. Statistical and Analysis Words

Research Word, Use Statistical model for data: 

• Bayesian analysis: Probability-based inference

• Frequentist analysis: Confidence-interval approach

• Confidence level: CL

• Credible interval: Bayesian interval

• p-value: Statistical significance measure

• Sigma significance: Discovery strength

• Upper limit: Maximum allowed value

• Sensitivity: Expected experimental reach

• Discovery potential: Ability to detect signal

• Hypothesis testing: Comparing physical models

• Null hypothesis: No-signal hypothesis

• Monte Carlo simulation: Simulated events

• Detector simulation: Modeling detector response

• Event selection: Choosing candidate events

• Cut-based analysis: Selection with fixed cuts

• Machine learning classification: ML-based signal/background separation

• Neural network: AI model for reconstruction/classification

• Unfolding: Correcting measured distribution

• Systematics: Experimental/model uncertainties

• Nuisance parameter: Parameter for uncertainty modeling

• Flux normalization: Overall flux scale

• Cross-section uncertainty: Interaction-model uncertainty

11. Useful Research Keywords for Searching Papers

Use these in Google Scholar, arXiv, INSPIRE-HEP, or university group pages:

1. neutrino oscillation

2. neutrino mass ordering

3. leptonic CP violation

4. sterile neutrino search

5. neutrino non-standard interactions

6. high-energy astrophysical neutrinos

7. ultra-high-energy neutrino detection

8. tau neutrino astronomy

9. neutrino telescopes

10. IceCube neutrino sources

11. DUNE CP violation sensitivity

12. JUNO mass ordering

13. Hyper-Kamiokande atmospheric neutrinos

14. coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering

15. neutrinoless double beta decay

16. effective Majorana mass

17. cosmic neutrino background

18. sum of neutrino masses cosmology

19. Supernova neutrino detection

20. multimessenger neutrino astronomy

21. neutrino cross-section measurements

22. liquid argon TPC neutrino reconstruction

23. machine learning neutrino event reconstruction

12. Strong Research-Question Keywords

These are especially useful for forming graduate-level research questions:

• origin of neutrino mass

• Dirac versus Majorana neutrinos

• normal versus inverted mass ordering

• source of leptonic CP violation

• sterile neutrino anomaly

• neutrino flavor transformation in matter

• neutrino interactions beyond the Standard Model

• high-energy cosmic neutrino sources

• tau neutrino detection at PeV–EeV energies

• supernova neutrino flavor conversion

• neutrino-nucleus cross-section uncertainty

• neutrinoless double beta decay sensitivity

• cosmological constraints on neutrino mass

• machine learning for neutrino reconstruction

• radio detection of ultra-high-energy neutrinos

A good focused research direction for you would be:

“Tau neutrino detection and flavor identification in high-energy astrophysical neutrino experiments, with applications to IceCube-Gen2, KM3NeT, GRAND, and TAMBO.”