Sci-Tech

Capturing 'ghost particles' 700 meters underground, China opens a new chapter in neutrino research

2025-08-26   

700 meters underground, deep in a quiet mountain in Jiangmen, Guangdong, a 35 meter diameter organic glass sphere is quietly capturing "ghost particles" from the universe - neutrinos. On August 26th, the Jiangmen Neutrino Experiment (JUNO) officially began data collection. This major scientific facility, which has been under construction for over a decade, will address one of the major issues in particle physics for the next decade: neutrino mass sorting. Neutrinos are one of the fundamental particles that make up the material world, and they are also the oldest and most numerous particles in the universe. They have been dispersed throughout the universe since the Big Bang, and are ubiquitous but elusive. They hardly react with any matter, making it difficult for people to see and even detect them. It was not until 1956 that humans first captured the trace of neutrinos in a nuclear reactor. Since then, neutrinos have become an important topic in physics research, but there are still many unsolved mysteries. Neutrinos are like a puzzle left by the universe for humanity. As early as 2003, China demonstrated the design of the first generation neutrino experimental device - the Daya Bay Neutrino Experiment. Now, the Jiangmen Neutrino Experiment has taken over the baton. It will not only solve the problem of neutrino mass sorting, but also measure neutrino oscillation parameters with higher accuracy, and explore research on supernovae, Earth neutrinos, solar neutrinos, and more. The detector core of the Jiangmen Neutrino Experiment is an organic glass sphere loaded with 20000 tons of liquid scintillation material, with tens of thousands of photomultiplier tubes embedded on the outer wall. Once neutrinos react with it, they emit weak light signals - these signals will be amplified, recorded, and analyzed, like listening to the whispers of the universe in the deep sea. Building such a high-precision detector is a challenge at every step. Ma Xiaoyan, the chief engineer of Jiangmen Neutrino Experiment, introduced that the project team completed the infusion of more than 60000 tons of ultrapure water within 45 days, controlling the liquid level difference between the inner and outer organic glass spheres to the centimeter level, and the flow deviation did not exceed 0.5%, effectively ensuring the safety and stability of the detector's main structure. This is the first international operation of such a large-scale and high-precision neutrino specific scientific facility, which will enable us to answer fundamental questions about the nature of matter and the universe. ”Wang Yifang, academician of the CAS Member and chief scientist of the Jiangmen Neutrino Experiment, said. The Jiangmen Neutrino Experiment is led by the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the cooperation team includes about 700 researchers from 17 countries and regions. From invisible and intangible "ghost particles" to gradually unveiling the mysterious veil, the Jiangmen Neutrino Experiment is a new window into the unknown universe. According to the plan, the Jiangmen Neutrino Experiment is designed to have a lifespan of up to 30 years and can be upgraded to a neutrino free double beta decay experiment in the future. It will detect the absolute mass of neutrinos and test whether they are Majorana particles, thus solving the cutting-edge interdisciplinary problems in particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology. (New Society)

Edit:Momo Responsible editor:Chen zhaozhao

Source:Xinhua News Agency

Special statement: if the pictures and texts reproduced or quoted on this site infringe your legitimate rights and interests, please contact this site, and this site will correct and delete them in time. For copyright issues and website cooperation, please contact through outlook new era email:lwxsd@liaowanghn.com

Recommended Reading Change it

Links