Since its postulation nearly ninety years ago by Wolfgang Pauli, the study of neutrinos has had a steady track record of keeping ahead of our expectations with bizarre implications and surprising outcomes, while creating some of the most formidable experimental challenges which have been met by mind-bogglingly ambitious solutions. As one of the most abundant particles in the universe and their critical role in our understanding of the universe on both the smallest and largest scales, the stakes are enormous. Current research is pursuing the possibility of “CP violation” in the neutrinos, namely that neutrinos and their antiparticle counterparts (antineutrinos) may behave differently. This potential imbalance may have implications for why our universe came to be matter dominated. A new generation of enormous underground detectors complemented by intense neutrino beams are under construction to confront this question, which will also advance the frontier on a number of other important questions regarding neutrinos.
