DUNE crews begin assembling giant steel detector structures underground
Crews in South Dakota have started assembling steel frameworks for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment. Thousands of beams are being taken underground for insulated tanks designed to hold liquid argon. The international project plans to compare neutrinos after a journey from Fermilab in Illinois, with the first beam expected in 2031. Detector equipment is expected to be installed in 2030.
Science··Morning
Thousands of beams move below South Dakota
Crews have begun assembling the steel frameworks for detector modules of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, or DUNE, at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota, United States. The structures support insulated containers known as cryostats, designed to hold liquid argon for detecting neutrino interactions. Work on the containers started in early November, with teams from the US Department of Energy’s Fermilab particle physics laboratory, CERN, the particle physics laboratory near Geneva, and the underground facility participating.[1], [2]
Approximately 2,600 beams are needed for the outer structures. Each travels underground individually, with the facility coordinating the transport. KOTA places the work around 1,478 metres below the surface. Fermilab director Norbert Holtkamp called the start of assembly a milestone and described DUNE as the laboratory’s highest priority.[1]
Liquid argon tanks need massive steel supports
The broader DUNE-LBNF project is valued at 3.3 billion dollars. Four detector tanks are planned, each containing 17,000 tonnes of liquid argon at 88 kelvin. Two underground spaces, about 150 metres long and seven storeys high, are intended to accommodate the experiment. Roughly 6,200 tonnes of steel are required to hold the cryostat modules in place; lowering the steel underground began in May.[2]
CERN, the particle physics laboratory near Geneva, leads cryostat design, construction planning and installation. The project involves more than 1,500 researchers and five US Department of Energy laboratories. Faculty and students at South Dakota Mines contribute detector technology, radiation measurements and computer simulations. Physics professor David Martinez Caicedo said students could work alongside scientists and engineers from other countries.[1], [2]
The first neutrino beam is expected in 2031
Project officials anticipate completing the underground facility in 2029 and installing detector equipment in 2030. The first neutrino beam is expected in 2031. Neutrinos are tiny particles able to pass through matter. The planned beam would travel about 1,300 kilometres from Fermilab in Illinois to South Dakota. Scientists intend to compare measurements at either end to investigate changes in neutrino type and differences between neutrinos and antineutrinos. The universe’s imbalance between matter and antimatter is among the scientific questions motivating the project.[1], [2]
