Physicists are putting the final touches on the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO), which will carry out secret research on neutrinos and their antiparticle partners, antineutrinos, a family of extremely lightweight elementary particles that carry no electric charge. is.
JUNO is scheduled to begin acquiring data in summer 2025 and aims to determine which of the three types of neutrinos is the heaviest. This is the world’s largest detector of its type.
At the center of the detector, located 700 meters underground in China, is an acrylic sphere approximately 35 meters wide. The interior will be filled with 20,000 tons of liquid scintillator, which will emit light when passing antineutrinos interact with particles produced when they interact with protons in the liquid. Tens of thousands of photomultiplier tubes monitor the scintillators, looking for glow induced by antineutrinos. The sphere is surrounded by cylindrical holes filled with water that help filter out subatomic particles that are not antineutrinos but can mimic antineutrinos. Scientists began pouring water into the hole on December 18th.
Once operational, the detector will scrutinize antineutrinos, which are emitted in large quantities as a byproduct of two nuclear power plants, each about 50 kilometers apart.
Scroll through the slideshow below to see some photos of JUNO.
