Electron Lifetime 66,000+ Yottayears

This is a bit of news that actually came out late last year, but still interesting and worth reading about. electron photoScientists have done research and determined that the lifetime of an electron is at least 66,000 yottayears (6.6 × 1028 yr).

This latest search for electron decay was made using the Borexino detector, which is designed primarily to study neutrinos. It is located deep under a mountain at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory to shield it from cosmic rays and comprises 300 tonnes of an organic liquid that is viewed by 2212 photomultipliers.

Photo by Peter Zuco