Tau Neutrino

Third-generation neutrino paired with the tau lepton, directly observed by DONUT in 2000.

Core Principles & Analysis

• The last Standard Model fermion to be directly observed, by Fermilab's DONUT experiment in 2000.
• OPERA confirmed muon-to-tau neutrino oscillation by detecting ten tau neutrino appearances between 2010 and 2015.
• Fewer than two dozen tau neutrino interactions have ever been directly identified.

Specifications & Metrics

• MASS: < 18.2 MeV/c²
• SPIN: 1/2
• SYMBOL: ν_τ
• PDG ID: S036
• PDG EDITION: PDG 2026
• CHARGE: 0 (neutral)

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