Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment

Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment
Longitudinal section of the beamline for the experiment from the Main Injector
Alternative namesDUNE Edit this at Wikidata
Location(s)CERN, Sanford Underground Research Facility, Winfield Township, Lead, US
Coordinates41°49′55″N 88°15′26″W / 41.831944°N 88.257222°W / 41.831944; -88.257222 Edit this at Wikidata
Telescope styleexperiment
neutrino detector Edit this on Wikidata
Websitehttps://www.dunescience.org/
Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment is located in the United States
Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment
Location of Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment
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The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a neutrino experiment under construction, with a near detector at Fermilab and a far detector at the Sanford Underground Research Facility that will observe neutrinos produced at Fermilab. An intense beam of trillions of neutrinos from the production facility at Fermilab (in Illinois) will be sent over a distance of 1,300 kilometers (810 mi) with the goal of understanding the role of neutrinos in the universe.[1][2] More than 1,000 collaborators work on the project.[3] The experiment is designed for a 20-year period of data collection.[4]

The primary science objectives of DUNE are[4][5]

  • Investigation of neutrino oscillations to test CP violation in the lepton sector, which explores why the universe is made of matter.[6]
  • Determination of the ordering of the neutrino masses.[7]
  • Studies of supernovae and the formation of a neutron star or black hole, even though the detector is 1,490 meters (0.93 mi) deep underground with no direct view of the sky.[8]
  • Search for proton decay, which has never been observed but is predicted by theories that unify the fundamental forces.[9]

In 2014 the Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel (P5) ranked this as "the highest priority project in its timeframe" (recommendation 13).[10] The importance of these goals has led to proposals for competing projects in other countries, particularly the Hyper-Kamiokande experiment in Japan, scheduled to begin data-taking in 2027. The DUNE project, overseen by Fermilab, has suffered delays to its schedule and growth of cost from less than $2B to more than $3B, leading to articles in the journals Science and Scientific American that described the project as "troubled."[11][12] In 2022, the DUNE experiment had a neutrino-beam start-date in the early-2030's, and the project is now phased.[11][12]

  1. ^ "This bold experiment aims to solve one of the biggest mysteries in science". NBC News. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  2. ^ Biggest cosmic mystery 'step closer' to solution, BBC News, 16 April 2020
  3. ^ "This bold experiment aims to solve one of the biggest mysteries in science". NBC News. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  4. ^ a b Acciarri, R.; et al. (22 January 2016). Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) and Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) Conceptual Design Report Volume 1: The LBNF and DUNE Projects. Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment. arXiv:1601.05471. Bibcode:2016arXiv160105471A.
  5. ^ Fermilab (15 June 2017), The Science of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), retrieved 30 November 2018
  6. ^ "To search for the origin of matter". Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  7. ^ "Which neutrino is the lightest?". Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  8. ^ "DUNE: Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment". DUNE: Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment. Fermilab. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  9. ^ "To shed light on the unification of nature's forces". Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  10. ^ Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel (May 2014). Ritz, Steve (ed.). Building for Discovery: Strategic Plan for U.S. Particle Physics in the Global Context. U. S. Department of Energy Office of Science and the National Science Foundation. Archived from the original (Report of the Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel (P5)) on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  11. ^ a b Adrian Cho (29 March 2022). "Trying to stay ahead of competition, U.S. pares down troubled $3 billion neutrino experiment". Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science.
  12. ^ a b Lewton, Thomas (13 April 2022). "Troubled U.S. Neutrino Project Faces Uncertain Future–and Fresh Opportunities". Scientific American. Retrieved 13 April 2022.