DUNE neutrino detectors to be assembled a mile underground in South Dakota
The Guardian reports that construction of four giant detectors for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment begins Monday in the former Homestake gold mine.
The story in focus
Construction of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment is due to begin Monday, The Guardian reports. Engineers will assemble four detectors in caverns a mile beneath the former Homestake gold mine in Lead, South Dakota, to study neutrinos and probe why the universe is made of matter rather than antimatter.
- The Guardian says assembly of four detectors is due to start Monday at the Sanford Underground Research Facility.
- The detectors will hold a combined 70,000 tonnes of liquid argon chilled to about -200C.
- DUNE will study neutrinos from the sun and supernovae and a beam sent 800 miles from Fermilab.
- Scientists hope to find subtle differences between neutrinos and antineutrinos.
- Assembly is expected to take nearly three years, followed by about a year to fill the detectors.
What is being built
The Guardian reports that construction of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is due to start on Monday in the former Homestake gold mine in Lead, South Dakota. Engineers will begin assembling four giant detectors inside caverns blasted from rock a mile underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility.
The detectors, made from more than 4,000 tonnes of steel, will stand up to five storeys high and hold a combined 70,000 tonnes of liquid argon chilled to about -200C, according to the report. Assembly should take nearly three years, with another year to fill them.
What the experiment will study
Once operational, the detectors will observe neutrinos arriving from the sun and distant supernovae, as well as an intense beam sent through 800 miles of rock from Fermilab near Chicago. Most neutrinos will pass straight through, but occasional collisions with argon atoms will produce light and electric charge for analysis.
The Guardian reports that researchers hope to determine which neutrino mass is lightest and which heaviest, and to look for subtle differences between neutrinos and their antimatter counterparts. That comparison could help address why the universe is made of matter rather than antimatter. The report also says DUNE will study neutrinos from stellar explosions and black hole formation.
How much liquid argon will the DUNE detectors hold, and at what temperature?
The Guardian reports the four detectors will hold a combined 70,000 tonnes of liquid argon, chilled to about -200C. Filling them after assembly is expected to take another year.
Sources & further reading
- From gold rush to cosmic questions: a South Dakota mine and the search for the secrets of the universe ↗The Guardian
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