World's Largest Neutrino Observatory Launched

World's largest neutrino observatory operates in southern China

On August 26, the world's largest underground observatory specializing in neutrino research was inaugurated in Guangdong province, southern China.

The JUNO Neutrino Observatory in Jiangmen, China. (Source: CCTV)

Neutrinos are elementary particles with no electric charge and an extremely small mass, close to zero. We cannot see them, because they do not interact with ordinary matter and can pass through without leaving a noticeable trace. To detect them, extremely sensitive detectors are used.

China Central Television (CCTV) reported that the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) has successfully loaded its 20,000-ton liquid luminescence detector and started collecting data. After more than ten years of preparation and construction, the observatory has become the world's first large-scale, high-precision neutrino research facility.

The neutrino observatory is located 700 meters underground. The heart of JUNO is a 35-meter-diameter acrylic sphere filled with a shimmering liquid that sparks when it interacts with neutrinos, allowing it to record and analyze the particles passing through.

The device is capable of detecting neutrinos produced from a variety of sources, including the Sun, supernovae, the Earth's atmosphere, and the Taishan and Yangjia nuclear power plants up to 53 kilometers away.

“Operating the neutrino observatory will allow us to get answers to questions about the nature of matter and the universe,” said project representative Wang Yifang.

About 700 researchers from 74 research institutions in 17 countries attended the observatory's launch ceremony, CCTV reported. JUNO is designed to operate for more than 30 years.

Mr. Quang

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/ra-mat-dai-quan-sat-neutrino-lon-nhat-the-gioi-ar962094.html