It aims to unravel the mysteries of the elusive particles with enhanced technology it is set to become the world’s largest liquid neutrino detector by 2024, advancing both particle physics and astronomy.
Until recently, neutrinos were considered massless, but new theories suggest they possess a tiny mass and exist in three distinct “flavors” that can oscillate between one another. Known as ghost particles, neutrinos are elusive as they pass through matter undetected, making them difficult to study. To address this, a largescale international collaboration has built the JUNO detector, located 750 meters underground in Jiangmen, China. This €400million project involves 730 scientists from 17 countries across 74 universities and laboratories.
Key to JUNO’s success is the use of Spectrum Instrumentation’s M4i.2212 digitizer cards in developing the liquid scintillator. Teams from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz have employed these highperformance digitizers in their precision experiments, which aim to characterize the scintillator. The ultrafast data acquisition provided by these digitizers allows researchers to capture critical details in their studies.
The key characteristics are:
-  JUNO located near eight nuclear reactors, providing neutrinos for research Â
-  Central acrylic sphere: 34.5meter diameter Â
-  Sphere contains 20,000 tons of liquid scintillator Â
-  Scintillator emits photons when neutrinos interact Â
-  Around 45,000 photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) detect emitted photons Â
-  Enables scientists to study neutrino behavior Â
Its position 750 meters underground protects the detector from external radiation, ensuring precise data collection. Scientists aim to separate the faint Cherenkov light from the dominant scintillation light, enabling them to reconstruct both the energy and direction of incoming neutrinos. This technological advancement could revolutionize our understanding of particle physics and neutrino behavior. Once operational by the end of 2024, it will be the world’s largest liquid neutrino detector. Beyond particle physics, it will contribute to multimessenger astronomy, enabling scientists to pinpoint the origin of neutrinos from sources like supernovae, the sun, or deep space, heralding a new era in astronomical research.
