Neutrino Masses and Flavor Oscillations

Abstract

This essay is intended to provide a brief description of the peculiar properties of neutrinos within and beyond the standard theory of weak interactions. The focus is on the flavor oscillations of massive neutrinos, from which one has achieved some striking knowledge about their mass spectrum and flavor mixing pattern. The experimental prospects towards probing the absolute neutrino mass scale, possible Majorana nature and CP-violating effects will also be addressed.

25 pages, 10 figures. An invited contribution to the book entitled "The Standard Theory up to the Higgs discovery - 60 years of CERN" (to be published by World Scientific)