Re: Neutrinos

Joseph C Fineman (jcf@world.std.com)
Wed, 18 Aug 1999 16:52:38 -0400 (EDT)

On Wed, 18 Aug 1999, John Clark wrote:

> Spin is a function of angular momentum not linear momentum. The
> spin of a neutrino can be of only two values, +1/2 or - 1/2, it's
> called the spin up and the spin down orientations and exactly the
> same thing is true of a antineutrino. The difference between the
> neutrino and the antineutrino is in the polarity of their magnetic
> field. Of course sub atomic particles don't really spin in the same
> way that balls do but a good analogy is that If both particles are
> spin up and you look at the pole of the neutrino that makes the
> particle look like it's rotating counterclockwise then that's the
> north magnetic pole, on the antineutrino it's the south.

This is completely wrong. You have got neutrinos mixed up with neutrons. Neutrinos have no magnetic moment. The projection of the spin angular momentum of an old-fashioned massless neutrino along its linear momentum can have only _one_ value.

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