News Particle Physics

This laser would shoot beams of neutrinos, not light

A proposed technique could form a coherent beam from the reclusive subatomic particles

A burst of bright spots in the lower left part of this illustration is channeled into a bright beam of light marked by the Greek letter ν to symbolize that it's a beam of neutrinos, not photons or light.

A laser beam of neutrinos (illustrated) could be created in a laboratory, scientists propose. The Greek letter ν is the symbol for a neutrino.

Jose-Luis Olivares/MIT, iStock

By Emily Conover

Neutrino lasers: It’s an idea that many physicists didn’t see coming.