HYDERABAD: Do you know that sub-atomic particles called neutrinos have been recorded at speeds faster than light, raising hopes of time travel? Or that a million such neutrinos supposedly keep bombarding you everyday, harmlessly though? These and a number of other interesting scientific titbits were presented by eminent researchers at a seminar on Neutrino Physics, jointly organised by the Osmania University and the Andhra Pradesh State Council for Higher Education here on Thursday.Dr B G Sidharth, director of Birla Science Centre, Sri B Prasada Rao, IPS, vice-chairman and managing director, APSRTC, Dr P K Suresh, University of Hyderabad and Dr Rukmani Mohanta, University of Hyderabad, brought to light their findings and experimental results in the field of neutrino and light wave research.The presentations sought to highlight the growing significance of the neutrino, against the backdrop of the 2011 Nobel Prize for Physics given for research on the ‘accelerating universe’, and the significance of dark energy.While Dr Sidharth gave a brief preface to Einstein’s theory of relativity and its modern modified representations with regards to spatial and time dimensions, Prasada Rao displayed video and pictorial findings of his research based on the nature of light.Prasada Rao, though an IPS, evinces keen interest in physics and is himself a scientist.His experiments based on the Newton’s Ring Theory, the Diffraction theory and Frisnel’s Bipolar experiments downplayed the wave theory of light and the Big Bang model.As for Dr Rukmani’s presentation, the audience got an in-depth analysis of the different types of neutrinos, their physical and electrical properties and their characteristic change of flavour or form while in motion through a medium.Dr Suresh, on the other hand, took the audience to the macro world of neutrinos, away from the subatomic level being discussed, with the focus on new physics and dark energy; and the impact of superlumial (speed greater than light) neutrons on cosmology.With neutrino research gaining momentum in recent years, Dr Rukmani also gave a brief description of the 25- year project to be carried out in the soon-to-be operational neutrino research observatory near Madurai.“The observatory will be built underneath a mountain and will aim to solve issues of mass hierarchy between the three types of neutrinos: the e-, mou and Tau types”, she added.Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister C Damodar Raja Narsimha, Prof S Satyanarayana, Vice- Chancellor, OU, and Prof P Jayaprakash Rao, Chairman, APSCHE also addressed the audience.
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