China to build a huge underground neutrino experiment

[cirr]

China to build a huge underground neutrino experiment

Mar 24, 2014 2 comments


Test site for the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory

Work has started on a huge underground neutrino lab in China. The $330m Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) is being built in Kaiping City, Guangdong Province, in the south of the country around 150 km west of Hong Kong. When complete in 2020, JUNO is expected to run for more than 20 years, studying the relationship between the three types of neutrino: electron, muon and tau.

The design concept for the detector was completed last year and it will be built by the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP), which is part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). JUNO will require an 80 m high and 50 m diameter experimental hall located 700 m underground. Its detector – filled with 20,000 tonnes of liquid scintillator – will use more than 15,000 photomultiplier tubes to detect the scintillation light that is created when a neutrino hits a hydrogen atom.

Big challenge

Although JUNO will be able to detect neutrinos produced by supernovae as well as those from Earth, the observatory will mainly study neutrinos created at two nearby nuclear power plants being built around 50 km from the experiment. "We need to detect neutrinos from the nuclear reactors, from a proper distance," says Yifang Wang, IHEP director, who heads the JUNO project. "It will be a big challenge to build such a large underground lab and a detector in five years."

The detector is expected to have an energy resolution of around 3%, allowing JUNO to determine the relative masses of the three kinds of neutrinos, known as the neutrino-mass hierarchy. Several similar experiments around the world – including NOvA in the US, Hyper-Kamiokande in Japan and the planned Indian Neutrino Observatory – will also work towards this goal. "That is an important part – to solve the mystery of why matter dominated over antimatter in our universe," says Jun Cao, a particle physicist at IHEP.

Previous success

China's experience operating the Daya Bay neutrino experiment for the last three years will stand it in good stead for JUNO. "The success of Daya Bay has attracted more potential foreign partners for JUNO," adds Wang. Along with IHEP and 19 other Chinese institutions, interest in joining JUNO has also been expressed by more than 30 international institutions, including partners in Daya Bay from the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and the US. "JUNO will help us build a leading research team, and make China one of the leaders in the field of particle physics," adds Wang.

• There is much more about physics in China in a Physics World special report on the country that you can access free of charge

About the author
Jiao Li is a science writer based in Beijing

China to build a huge underground neutrino experiment - physicsworld.com

 

[Ahriman]

Great, I might have to move to China then Again.

 

[Borr]

Great, I might have to move to China then Again.

No very likely. This Jiangmen (or DayaBay II if you are in the field) directly compete with experiments in the US. You will more probably end up in one of the US experiments.

India also claims to be "building" one, for a different measurement.

 

[shuttler]

No very likely. This Jiangmen (or DayaBay II if you are in the field) directly compete with experiments in the US. You will more probably end up in one of the US experiments.

How can that be ending up as an american experiment when all the equipment are located at Daya Bay and
most of the key scientists are from China (unless they migrate to usa and become naturalised lateron) despite some Chinese american scientists are involved in the project?

India also claims to be "building" one, for a different measurement.

how are these people doing?

 

[Borr]

How can that be ending up as an american experiments when all the equipment are located at Daya Bay and
most of the key scientists are from China (unless they migrate to usa and become naturalised lateron) despite some Chinese american scientists are involved in the project?

how are these people doing?

You are obviously not involved as to ask such question.. then I don't see any need to answer. Google is your friend.

 

[shuttler]

You are obviously not involved as to ask such question.. then I don't see any need to answer. Google is your friend.

are you involved?
the question is valid.

 

[Borr]

are you involved?

Nope.

The Jiangmen experiment will probably get done as planned while the Indian one won't.

The DayaBay happened at a time when there is no support in the US for a same-type experiment. So it becomes a good collaboration between Chinese and US institutes, probably the first of this kind of size in fundamental research.

Now the US weigh into neutrino experiments that (potentially) do the same thing as Jiangmen, so much less collaboration and more competition. The Chinese Academy of Science shall carry on and I am optimistic due to our Chinese determination and speed.

I don't know of any Chinese-Iranian collaborations so I think he will end up in a US facility. Maybe it is time to start one.

 

[shuttler]

Nope.

The Jiangmen experiment will probably get done as planned while the Indian one won't.

The DayaBay happened at a time when there is no support in the US for a same-type experiment. So it becomes a good collaboration between Chinese and US institutes, probably the first of this kind of size in fundamental research.

Now the US weigh into neutrino experiments that (potentially) do the same thing as Jiangmen, so much less collaboration and more competition. The Chinese Academy of Science shall carry on and I am optimistic due to our Chinese determination and speed.

I don't know of any Chinese-Iranian collaborations so I think he will end up in a US facility. Maybe it is time to start one.

"so I think he will end up in a US facility." is the origin of the misunderstanding now it is clarified

I think the neutrino research is going to be competiting neck and neck amongst major players like China, US and Europe just like Thorium research for new source of energy