caption The neutrino detector Super-Kamiokande. source Kamioka Observatory, ICRR (Institute for Cosmic Ray Research), The University of Tokyo The Super-Kamiokande neutrino detector is a physics experiment the size of a 15-storey building, buried under a mountain in Japan. Neutrinos are sub-atomic particles that pass through us all the time, and studying them can tell us about supernovas and the composition of the universe. The detector is full of ultra-pure water, which can leach the nutrients out of your hair and dissolve metal. Hidden 1,000 metres under Mount Ikeno in Japan is a place that looks like a supervillain’s dream. Super-Kamiokande (or “Super-K” as it’s sometimes referred to) is a neutrino detector. Neutrinos are sub-atomic particles which travel through space and pass through solid matter as though it were air. Studying these particles is helping scientists detect dying stars and learn more about the universe. Business Insider spoke to three scientists about how the giant gold chamber works – and the dangers of conducting experiments inside it. Seeing the sub-atomic world Neutrinos can be very hard to detect, so much so that Neil deGrasse dubbed them “the most elusive prey in the cosmos.” In this video, he explains that the detection chamber is buried deep within the earth to stop other particles from getting in. “Matter poses no obstacle to a neutrino,” he says. “A neutrino could pass through a hundred light-years of steel without even slowing down.” But why catch them at all? “If there’s a supernova, a star that… [Read full story]
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