You are viewing a single comment's thread from:
RE: When particle physics met geology with ‘geoneutrinos’
You are correct. 40 is the number of nucleons: 19 protons (the atomic number) and 21 neutrons .
You are correct. 40 is the number of nucleons: 19 protons (the atomic number) and 21 neutrons .
Ah... yes.. very good. So, then a follow up question: Could geoneutrinos be produced from within a living creature, as most of us have some potassium scattered about inside of us?
Well, is biomass not considered a part of the planet? Or at least the "Crust?"
Is decomposed plant (life) matter, such as soil, not factored into the equation? Cause that's a whole lotta mass. And if such inanimate matter is part of the Earth, then why aren't living things? I'm not trying to split hairs and be a jerk, either. I was considering spacetime and the Earth's gravity-well.
I know it's a silly question, but I killed my television years ago so I could spend more time thinking about this stuff. It's fun. :)
In fact, one considers the crust and the mantle, but not any living beast that could walk on the surface. It is just a matter of definition.
To answer the question about neutrino production in humans or in any other animals, I don't know. Neutrinos arise from nuclear reactions, and there are very small rate of such reactions occurring inside the bodies. I would then imagine than the flux is negligible compared to the rest. But I have nothing to back up my claim. Sorry.
However, if the flux would be large, one should have already seen it in experiments.
Cool. Thanks for responding. I just wanted to see if there was more to it. Probably could have looked it up, but what is engagement for? :)
Any question is a good question! At least from my standpoint. Thanks for having passed by and not hesitated to ask yours (I also had to do some research to try to get an answer, which is always a positive outcome) :)
I reckon from the perspective of neutrinos, we are indeed part of the Earth.
I don't think that's a 'jerk' observation, but a bit out of the box, and that's amongst the most valuable, at least to me.
Thanks!
There is nothing wrong with the question. I just didn't answer because my online time is not 100% this week.
I have proposed an answer, but I am not sure. I don't know everything ;)
No they can't, as by definition, a genoneutrino is an antineutrino produced inside the planet. If an antineutrino is produced elsewhere, it is not a geoneutrino.