The DUNE (Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment) is a cutting-edge, multinational neutrino and proton decay experiment. Neutrinos, the most prevalent matter particles in the cosmos, have been thrust into the spotlight by recent discoveries, allowing for more research into several fundamental questions about the nature of matter and the evolution of the universe – questions that DUNE will attempt to answer.
Two neutrino detectors will be put in the world’s most powerful neutrino beam for DUNE. At the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois, one detector will monitor particle interactions near the beam source. A second, much larger detector will be built at the Sanford Down Research Laboratory in Lead, South Dakota, more than a kilometer underground and 1,300 kilometers downstream of the source. These detectors will allow scientists to look for new subatomic occurrences, which could change how we think about neutrinos and their function in the cosmos.
The European research institution CERN has two prototype far detectors. The first began collecting data in September 2018, while the second is currently being built.
The DUNE detectors will be supported by the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility, which will provide the neutrino beamline and infrastructure. On July 21, 2017, the LBNF excavation and construction at Sanford Lab was officially kicked off.
The goal is to make ground-breaking findings.
Matter’s Beginnings
Is it possible that neutrinos are the reason the universe is made up of matter rather than antimatter? DUNE aims to alter our understanding of neutrinos and their role in the universe by investigating neutrino oscillations.
Forces Unification
DUNE can look for signals of proton decay thanks to the world’s largest cryogenic particle detector, which is positioned deep underground. This could indicate a link between matter’s stability and the Grand Unification of Forces, bringing Einstein’s ideal closer to fruition.
Formation of a Black Hole
DUNE’s observation of thousands of neutrinos from a Milky Way core-collapse supernova might allow us to see inside a newly formed neutron star and maybe witness the formation of a black hole.