JUNO's central detector, an enormous acrylic sphere filled with 20,000 tons of liquid scintillator, is now operational.
On August 26, China ’s Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory officially began collecting data after over a decade of planning and construction. JUNO ’s central detector, an enormous acrylic sphere filled with 20,000 tons of liquid scintillator, is now operational.
The detector’s primary goal is to solve a major mystery in particle physics: the neutrino mass ordering.“Completing the filling of the JUNO detector and starting data taking marks a historic milestone. For the first time, we have in operation a detector of this scale and precision dedicated to neutrinos,” said Prof. Wang Yifang, a researcher at the Institute of High Energy Physics and JUNO spokesperson.“JUNO will allow us to answer fundamental questions about the nature of matter and the universe,” Yifang added.The central acrylic sphere and PMTs. JUNO CollaborationThe massive underground observatory Neutrinos are fundamental, subatomic particles that are incredibly difficult to detect. These are often called “ghost particles” because they are nearly massless and rarely interact with other matter.The particles come in three types, constantly morphing from one to another in a phenomenon called neutrino oscillation. But scientists are still unsure about the order of their masses, which is the heaviest and lightest.JUNO lies 2,297 feet underground to shield it from cosmic rays. The detector will find antineutrinos produced as a byproduct of nuclear reactions at the Taishan and Yangjiang nuclear power plants, located 33 miles away.By precisely measuring the energy spectrum of these antineutrinos, JUNO aims to determine the mass ordering.The main core system of JUNO is a gigantic detector. A 116-foot diameter acrylic sphere, suspended in a vast pool of ultra-pure water, holds 20,000 tons of liquid scintillator. This special liquid emits a tiny flash of light when an antineutrino interacts.Surrounding the acrylic sphere are tens of thousands of extremely sensitive photomultiplier tubes . The PMTs collaborate to detect the faint light produced by neutrino interactions, turning those flashes into electrical signals for scientists to analyze.Precise measurements Early trials and data collection indicate that JUNO’s performance is exceeding expectations. JUNO can determine the neutrino mass ordering without being skewed by matter effects in the Earth.It will also deliver much more precise measurements of neutrino properties and open new windows to explore other exciting physics phenomena, from neutrinos coming from the Sun and supernovae to the possibility of new types of neutrinos and even the decay of protons.JUNO is built to operate for up to 30 years. “Building JUNO has been a journey of extraordinary challenges. It demanded not only new ideas and technologies but also years of careful planning, testing, and perseverance. Meeting the stringent requirements of purity, stability, and safety called for the dedication of hundreds of engineers and technicians,” said Prof. MA Xiaoyan, JUNO Chief Engineer.It is also built with the potential for future upgrades, such as a leading search for neutrinoless double-beta decay. Led by the IHEP, JUNO is a large-scale international collaboration involving over 700 researchers from 74 institutions across 17 countries and regions.
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