Scientists are fascinated by neutrino oscillations because they may reveal phenomena that cannot be explained by the Standard Model, the highly successful but incomplete theory of particle physics. For example, the MiniBooNE results may confirm the existence of a fourth kind of neutrino--the so-called sterile neutrino--that is not subject to the weak force but may participate in novel interactions that have not yet been identified. "The neutrino is one of the least understood particles," says Richard Van de Water of the MiniBooNE team. "If there's extra physics, it's a good place for nature to hide it."

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