What is the Difference Between Antineutrino and Neutrino?

The main difference between a neutrino and an antineutrino lies in their lepton number and chirality. Both neutrinos and antineutrinos are subatomic particles known for their extremely weak interactions with other particles, making them difficult to detect and study. Here are the key differences between the two:

1. Lepton Number: Neutrinos have a positive lepton number, while antineutrinos have a negative lepton number. This difference in lepton number allows neutrinos and antineutrinos to annihilate each other upon collision, producing two photons.
2. Chirality: Neutrinos and antineutrinos differ in their chirality, which is the way the spin of a particle is oriented with respect to its motion. This difference in chirality results in different interaction cross-sections for neutrino-nucleon scattering and antineutrino-nucleon scattering.
3. Interactions with Matter: When neutrinos interact with matter, they produce negatively charged electrons, while antineutrinos produce positively charged positrons (the electron's antiparticle).

Despite these differences, neutrinos and antineutrinos have the same mass and are both electromagnetically neutral, meaning they have no electric charge and no magnetic moment. Scientists are still investigating whether neutrinos and antineutrinos are distinct particles or simply different states of the same particle.

Comparative Table: Antineutrino vs Neutrino

Here is a table comparing the differences between antineutrinos and neutrinos:

Neutrinos and antineutrinos are both subatomic particles characterized by their weak interactions and lack of electric charge. They have opposite signs of lepton number and chirality, with neutrinos having a positive lepton number and left-handed helicity, while antineutrinos have a negative lepton number and right-handed helicity.