World|Technology|WrittenByLAPost
Scientists in China are constructing the biggest detector on Earth to capture elusive subatomic particles called neutrinos, by anchoring thousands of sensors over a mile deep beneath the Pacific Ocean. Named the Tropical Deep-sea Neutrino Telescope (TRIDENT), the massive project will be online by 2030. By leveraging the ocean’s depth, TRIDENT will observe cosmic neutrinos in unprecedented detail as they briefly interact with water molecules. Neutrinos are nicknamed “ghost particles” because they pass through matter unaffected, including our entire planet. But TRIDENT’s enormous scale increases the chance to detect neutrinos when they rarely collide with water particles, producing telltale flashes
November 10, 2023