IceCube turns the planet into a giant neutrino detector

Enlarge / The IceCube facility sits at the South Pole above an array of photodetectors, drawn into the image above. (credit: IceCube Collaboration, U. Wisconsin, NSF) Neutrinos are one of the most plentiful particles out there, as trillions pass through you every second. But they’re incredibly hard to work with. They’re uncharged, so we can’t […]

After 43 years, gentle touch of a neutrino is finally observed

Enlarge / The neutron source at Oak Ridge National Lab. (credit: Oak Ridge National Lab) Neutrinos are noted for being extremely reluctant to interact with other matter. While it’s possible to build hardware that will detect them, these detectors tend to be enormous in order to provide sufficient material for the neutrinos to interact with. […]

Work starts on a massive underground neutrino experiment

Neutrinos are notoriously difficult to understand, but work is underway to know them a little better. Researchers have officially broken ground on the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility, the home to the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment. When it’s finished 10 years from now, the South Dakota project will be the largest-ever US experiment built to study […]