A discovery that neutrinos, virtually massless particles, convert into other forms known as muon and tau before they leave the sun, solving a 40-year-old mystery.

发现中微子(几乎是无质量的粒子)在离开太阳之前可转化介子，解开了一个40年的谜。

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But occasionally a neutrino reacts with an atom to create a particle called a muon.

ECONOMIST: Neutrino astronomy

The theory is that when a muon encounters a gas molecule, it can knock off an electron, leaving a positively charged ion in its wake.

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If and when a neutrino does bump into something, the interaction spits out one of three particles an electron, a muon or a tau (the last two are heavy, unstable objects with most of the characteristics of an electron).

ECONOMIST: Neutrinos