Although neutrinos are the most plentiful particle in the Universe, there is still a great deal unknown about the neutral particle, but the latest detector, being assembled in the U.S., may change that one day.
As part of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), the Long Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) broke ground in July, and when it is fully built in 2024 is expected to be the world’s largest neutrino detector. Spanning 800 miles underground, the neutrino particles will be produced at Fermilab, Illinois and sent through the earth to the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, South Dakota.
Ultimately the internationally cooperative experiment hopes to better understand neutrinos as well as antineutrinos, their role in the universe, and also help in the study of other subatomic particles. All told, the experiment will represent the work of 160 institutions from at least 30 countries and 1,000 strong teams of engineers and scientists.
DUNE consists of a number of parts: the proton accelerator at Fermilab, the LBNF to create the intense neutrino beam, the near detector to measure neutrinos at the start of the journey, and the far detector to gather data on the neutrinos after traveling 800 miles underground.
Being deep underground is key to the experiment as it protects the neutrinos from the cosmic rays that constantly bombard Earth and could interfere or confuse the data readings of the detectors.
As an experiment DUNE represents one of the most collaborative efforts to study the neutrino particle and researchers have great optimism that it will result in groundbreaking discoveries on everything from the explanation of the matter, to black hole origins, even to finally proving the Grand Unified Theory.
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