Abstract

Neutrinos are one of the most abundant particles in the Universe, produced in a wide range of artificial and natural reactions on Earth and beyond. Initially postulated to solve a puzzle, they are also very elusive particles: with a tiny mass, no electric charge and interacting only via the weak force. Thus, they were long believed undetectable; but far from that, they were observed, and since then their extraordinary nature has forced physicists to revisit the existing knowledge on elementary particles, and to achieve new discoveries even worth a Nobel prize. Understanding the nature of neutrinos is still a work in progress and many questions remain unanswered; in fact, neutrinos may be the key to some of the most fundamental questions of the Universe.