地下700米捕捉“幽灵粒子” 中国开启中微子研究新篇章

Core Insights - The Jiangmen Neutrino Experiment (JUNO) has officially begun data collection as of August 26, 2023, aiming to address significant questions in particle physics, particularly the mass ordering of neutrinos [1][2] - This facility, constructed over more than a decade, is designed to provide high-precision measurements of neutrino oscillation parameters and explore various astrophysical phenomena [1][2] Group 1 - The experiment is located 700 meters underground in Jiangmen, Guangdong, featuring a large organic glass sphere with a diameter exceeding 35 meters, which captures neutrinos [1] - Neutrinos are fundamental particles that constitute the material world and are the most abundant particles in the universe, yet many mysteries surrounding them remain unsolved [1][2] - The core detector of the experiment contains 20,000 tons of liquid scintillator, with thousands of photomultiplier tubes embedded in its outer wall to detect weak light signals generated by neutrino interactions [1][2] Group 2 - The project team successfully filled over 60,000 tons of ultra-pure water within 45 days, ensuring the liquid level difference between the inner and outer spheres is controlled to a centimeter level, with a flow deviation of no more than 0.5% [2] - The experiment is a collaboration involving approximately 700 researchers from 17 countries and regions, marking the first operation of such a large-scale and high-precision neutrino-specific scientific facility internationally [2] - The design lifespan of the Jiangmen Neutrino Experiment is planned for 30 years, with potential upgrades to conduct double beta decay experiments to investigate the absolute mass of neutrinos and whether they are Majorana particles [2]