The results of the experiment studying neutrino oscillations have been confirmed.

In the realm of elementary particles, there exists a mysterious phenomenon known as the "reactor antineutrino anomaly," which has given rise to numerous hypotheses and experiments. While studying antineutrinos (elementary particles that emerge during the decay of atomic nuclei in nuclear reactors), scientists encounter an unexpected occurrence: a deficit of events compared to predictions from various models. In simpler terms, fewer antineutrinos are detected in experiments than what calculations suggest should be present.

At the National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute," an "alternative" theoretical model has been proposed. During beta decay of fission products from heavy isotopes, one electron antineutrino and one beta electron are produced. In most reactor neutrino experiments, the flows of antineutrinos are measured. However, an experiment conducted at the Kurchatov Institute using the "Beta" setup on the IR-8 reactor focused on measuring the number of beta electrons.

Daniel Popov, a junior researcher in the neutrino physics department at the Kurchatov Institute, comments:

“Ideally, if we were to measure antineutrinos and beta electrons from a single beta decay simultaneously and accurately, the readings from the detectors should match. However, in reality, electrons interact with the detector more "readily," making their detection easier. Since antineutrinos and beta electrons are always produced together as a result of beta decay, their characteristics are closely linked. By measuring the characteristics of beta electrons under laboratory conditions, one can infer the characteristics of antineutrinos.

In our case, this was indeed done: based on the data from the first cycle of beta electron measurements from uranium and plutonium fission products, we constructed a model of reactor antineutrinos at the Kurchatov Institute. Our setup is unique; no one else in the world is currently conducting similar work. Furthermore, since our model is unaffected by the "antineutrino deficit" effect, it provides a better description of the results from reactor neutrino experiments compared to others and is actively discussed in the global literature.”

Neutrino oscillations are being studied in a large international experiment called Daya Bay (conducted at the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant in China, involving scientists from China, Russia, the USA, and other countries). The experiment has gathered around 4.7 million events, which represent particle interactions. To verify the accuracy of the data, scientists compared it with predictions made based on various theoretical models. It turned out that the results of the Daya Bay experiment are consistent with the predictions of the Kurchatov Institute model.

“The neutrino method is universal and applicable not only for VVER energy reactors but also for nuclear facilities of other types based on fission reactions—specifically, for fast neutron reactors, molten salt reactors, and low-power floating nuclear power units. The better we understand the properties and interactions of antineutrinos with matter, the more accurate and reliable the neutrino method for monitoring nuclear facilities in the atomic industry will be,” noted Daniel Popov.