In a landmark achievement for particle physics, the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) in the Chinese mainland has completed filling its 20,000-tonne liquid scintillator detector and begun data taking.
After over a decade of planning and construction, JUNO is the first in a new generation of massive neutrino experiments to reach this milestone. Initial trial runs show that JUNO's key performance indicators not only met but exceeded design expectations, setting the stage to tackle one of this decade's biggest questions: the ordering of neutrino masses – is the third state (ν₃) heavier than the second (ν₂)?
Professor Wang Yifang, research leader at the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and JUNO spokesperson, said, “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. JUNO will allow us to answer fundamental questions about the nature of matter and the universe.”
With data now streaming in, JUNO's global team of over 700 scientists is poised to analyze neutrino oscillations, refine mass hierarchy measurements, and explore rare particle interactions. The observatory's design offers unparalleled energy resolution, promising insights into supernova dynamics, solar neutrinos, and possibly even dark matter signatures.
As the experiment ramps up, JUNO is expected to reshape our understanding of the subatomic world and inspire the next wave of scientific discovery. Stay tuned as data-driven insights begin to emerge from deep beneath Guangdong's mountains, shining light on the universe's most elusive particles.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
