Neutrino oscillations
Professor Paul Harrison discusses the life and work of Don Perkins, focusing on neutrino oscillations. Harrison expresses gratitude for the collaboration with Perkins and Bill Scott, highlighting their efforts to understand neutrino oscillation data. He reminisces about meeting Perkins in 1994 and their subsequent work together, which included challenging the prevailing interpretations of atmospheric neutrino problems and proposing the concept of tri-maximal mixing.
Harrison details the theoretical framework they developed, emphasising the importance of three flavours of neutrinos and a unified approach to neutrino oscillations. He explains the concept of tri-maximal mixing and its predictions, including universal survival probabilities for all neutrino flavours and the potential for new symmetries in physics.
Harrison also covers the impact of their work, noting over 1500 citations from phenomenology papers and the influence on experimental neutrino research. He concludes by reflecting on the legacy of their collaboration and the ongoing search for CP violation in neutrinos, expressing gratitude for the exciting and impactful journey.