The beta decay process: a neutron decays into a proton and an electron
(beta radiation) with the emission of a anti-neutrino
Contemporary Physics Education Project
Related links:
A movie of the beta decay process (467K MPEG) Movie courtesy of University of Oregon
Neutrino History
The "neutrino" was proposed by Wolfgang Pauli in 1930. This particle had to have no electrical charge so Enrico Fermi called this particle "neutrino" which means "little neutral one" in Italian.
Neutrinos don't interact much with matter so they are difficult to detect. In 1956, physicists Reines and Cowan found evidence of neutrinos coming from a nuclear reactor.
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