This course aims to show you what neutrinos are, their history, and how they can be crucial to understand our universe. A very important problem nowadays is the asymmetry between matter and antimatter. We are made of matter and exist because of this asymmetry. We don’t understand this imbalance and neutrinos can be a very useful insight. We will cover this and see how this research is also very useful to society.
Introduction to Neutrino Physics
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level
No prior experience required
9 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Skills you'll gain
Details to know
Shareable certificate
Add to your LinkedIn profile
Assessments
6 assignments
Taught in English
Recently updated!
February 2026
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
There are 6 modules in this course
In this course we are going to see most relevant aspects about neutrinos, very interesting but elusive particles. One important part will be to understand better matter-antimatter asymmetry in our universe and how neutrinos can be a useful insight for this. The tool to address this will be Neutrino Oscillations, which was the topic for a Nobel Prize in 2015. We will cover many other aspects, for exemple how research in Neutrino Field and High Energy Physics in general is relevant not only to understand better our universe but also for useful applications in Society.
What's included
8 videos10 readings1 assignment
In this module we show how neutrinos can come from diferent sources: Big Bang, sun, atmosphere, accelerators, supernovae, cosmos, ... We explain basic characteristics of these diferent neutrinos and finish with another practical exercise on the principle of detection for Water Cherenkov Detectors.
What's included
8 videos1 assignment
In this module we present the basic theory in fundamental physics, the Standard Model and we see how neutrinos are related with each of the fundamental forces: electromagnetism, strong force and weak force. We also introduce the concepts of helicity and chirality and discuss the relation with neutrinos.
What's included
7 videos1 assignment
In this module we discuss the important concept of neutrino oscillations. In order to this we introduce eigenstates, the PMNS matrix and the concept of oscillation probability. We apply all this to the practical case of DUNE.
What's included
7 videos1 assignment
In this module we see basic notions for neutrino detection. We present some examples of near detectors in the Kamioka projects and the case of NOvA and DUNE. We finish with the important concept of cross-section and its application to the detection of solar neutrinos with Super-Kamiokande.
What's included
7 videos1 assignment
In this module we discuss future ares for neutrino field: matter-antimatter asymmetry, prospects for neutrino mass determination, importance of neutrino research in the search for Physics Beyond the Standard Model, relevance of neutrinos in Astrophysics and Cosmology, and some basic notions about Applications in Science and Technology.
What's included
6 videos1 assignment
Instructor
Offered by
Why people choose Coursera for their career
Felipe M.
Learner since 2018
"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."
Jennifer J.
Learner since 2020
"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."
Larry W.
Learner since 2021
"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."
Chaitanya A.
"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."
Explore more from Physical Science and Engineering
University of Geneva
The University of Edinburgh
Dartmouth College
Lund University