Neutrino oscillation is coherent conversion between neutrino flavors: different mass eigenstates acquire different propagation phases. It measures squared-mass differences and mixing, rather than an absolute neutrino mass. The Super-Kamiokande atmospheric-neutrino experiment tests path-dependent disappearance; the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory compares reactions with complementary neutrino flavor sensitivity. Solar neutrino propagation also requires matter effects; the two-flavour vacuum survival model is only an illustration.
Articles by others on the same topic
Neutrino oscillation is a quantum mechanical phenomenon whereby neutrinos, which are elementary particles with very small mass and no electric charge, can change from one type (or flavor) to another as they propagate through space. There are three flavors of neutrinos associated with their corresponding charged leptons: the electron neutrino (\(\nu_e\)), the muon neutrino (\(\nu_\mu\)), and the tau neutrino (\(\nu_\tau\)).