【新华社】地下700米捕捉“幽灵粒子” 我国开启中微子研究新篇章

Core Insights - The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) has officially begun data collection as of August 26, 2023, after over a decade of construction, aiming to address significant questions in particle physics, particularly the mass ordering of neutrinos [2][4]. Group 1: Project Overview - The JUNO facility is located 700 meters underground in Jiangmen, Guangdong, featuring a 35-meter diameter acrylic sphere designed to detect neutrinos, often referred to as "ghost particles" due to their elusive nature [2][4]. - The observatory's core detector contains 20,000 tons of liquid scintillator and is equipped with tens of thousands of photomultiplier tubes to capture faint light signals generated by neutrino interactions [4][5]. Group 2: Scientific Goals - JUNO aims to provide high-precision measurements of neutrino oscillation parameters and explore various astrophysical phenomena, including supernovae and solar neutrinos, thereby addressing unresolved mysteries in particle physics [4][5]. - The project is expected to have a lifespan of 30 years, with potential upgrades to conduct experiments on neutrinoless double beta decay, which could reveal the absolute mass of neutrinos and determine if they are Majorana particles [5]. Group 3: Collaborative Efforts - The project is led by the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, involving approximately 700 researchers from 17 countries and regions, marking a significant international collaboration in the field of neutrino research [5].