Neutrinos: Masters of Surprise

Robert D. McKeown, Deputy Director for Science, Jefferson Lab



In the recent past the experimental study of neutrinos has yielded a series of surprising results. The very light masses and strong flavor mixing have challenged theorists and also motivated experimentalists to perform ever more sensitive experiments. In this colloquium I will discuss these developments, including the observation of the unexpectedly large mixing angle 13 by the Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiment. Prospects for future studies, and opportunities for additional surprises, will also be discussed.