'Neutrino Weighs Under 0.45 Electronvolts', Study Sets Upper Limit For Universe's Lightest Particle

A study has set a maximum value, or upper limit, that a neutrino -- the lightest sub-atomic particle -- weighs under 0.45 electronvolts, which is at least a million times lighter than an electron.

- Press Trust Of India

Findings of the study, published in the journal Science, takes scientists closer towards understanding the fundamental laws of nature.

The Karlsruhe TRItium Neutrino, or KATRIN, experiment is an international collaboration of scientists looking to work out the "absolute mass" of a neutrino.

Considered the lightest particles in the universe, neutrinos are formed during nuclear reactions -- when nucleus of two atoms merge (fusion) or a nucleus of an atom breaks apart (fission). A neutrino is not a charged particle.

The researchers explained that neutrinos act as "cosmic architects" by influencing how galaxies are formed and spread in the universe.