An international team of scientists discovered this so-called missing link of matter using the world's most powerful particle accelerator , the Fermilab Tevatron . In 1997, this accelerator was used to fire an intense neutrino beam, expected to contain tau neutrinos. Following three years of research, traces of a tau lepton were found in the emulsion, which was the key in locating the neutrino. The tau lepton was detected through the track in the layers of emulsion it left behind, according to Vittorio Paolone, senior scientist on the project. Its main signature is that its track has a kink that indicates the decay of the tau lepton just moments after its creation.
Emulsion is a special photosensitive coating similar to photographic film.
Out of the six million potential particle interactions that took place inside the accelerator, only four traces of the tau neutrino were found to exist. The tau neutrino has been the most difficult of all subatomic particles to find because it is nearly massless, carries no electrical charge and barely interacts with surrounding matter. Its discovery could lead to further understanding of the fundamental structure of matter. Inc. All rights reserved.