BEIJING: Chinese scientists have deployed several prototype detectors to locate neutrinos in the South China Sea, the Institute of High Energy Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced on Wednesday.
The detectors were successfully placed at a designated site 1,600 meters below sea level, marking a key technical step in the development of the prototype array under the Sea Star Program, which is funded by the Ocean University of China. The project will provide technical evaluations for the High-energy Underwater Neutrino Telescope, a large-scale scientific instrument proposed by IHEP with an expected volume of about 30 cubic kilometers.
The prototype detectors are part of HUNT’s preparatory phase, which aims to cover 600 square kilometers of ocean. The project is expected to detect neutrino point sources within two years and identify dozens of astrophysical neutrino sources within a decade, positioning China at the forefront of neutrino astronomy, said Chen Mingjun, a researcher at IHEP.
In addition to its astronomical significance, HUNT is expected to provide a valuable research platform for marine science, he added.
HUNT aims to detect galactic and extragalactic high-energy neutrino sources in a short period. “Composed of highly energetic particles, cosmic rays’ direction of motion is constantly deflected by interstellar magnetic fields, making it difficult to directly observe their origin,” Chen said.
“Observing high-energy neutrinos, which can travel vast distances without being affected by magnetic fields or matter, is an effective way to uncover the processes and sources behind these highly energetic particles — an enduring mystery for more than a century,” he added.
However, this same characteristic makes detecting high-energy neutrinos extremely challenging. Current international experiments, developed over decades, are limited by detection technology and financial investment. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
